All These Mistakes
by Farewellxo
Summary: A story composed of a near-present day setting and flashbacks. Jackie reflects back on the mistakes she's made in her life as she goes through her second divorce. Now that she's reunited with her old friends, what's to come of her life? On hiatus
1. The First Mistake

Hey! I know I haven't written in a while... I'll still be updating my other stories, hopefully soon. However, I had this idea. I'm writing a new story, plain and simple, and it's basically all about Jackie's life after moving on out of the group. Hope you enjoy1

00000

**FLASHBACK, RIGHT AFTER FINALE**

Wow, it's 1980. And, Fez didn't kiss me when the New Year countdown came to one. Really? I mean, how could he not kiss /me/? All he did was throw confetti in the air and take a big sip of some sugary punch that Mrs. Forman made.

Donna and Eric look lost in the moment. They've been making out pretty much ever since they've been upstairs. I'm happy for them, really, I am, but I can't help but feel a little better. I mean, I have a boyfriend, and he didn't kiss me!

Last New Year's, Steven kissed me. Donna and Eric kissed, and Michael and Fez pretended like they were going to, but they didn't. People say that when you're kissed when the new year starts, the next 365 days is filled with luck and love, just for you. Well, I guess I shouldn't be upset. I got kissed last year, and look at how well that year was. 1979 was a tragedy, really. I hope the 80's are a lot better for me.

Maybe Fez won't kiss me at all during the 80's. No, stop thinking like that. He's your boyfriend, Jackie, of course he will. But maybe...

I find myself walking towards him, and tapping him on the shoulder. "Fez?"

"Yes, my goddess?" He turned around with chocolate surrounding his mouth, a big smile on his face.

Ohhh, no. I have a feeling that this whole thing with Fez was just a big mistake. I stand there, thinking for a moment. Then I manage to get out, "Fez, I need to talk to you."

"Ooh," Steven smirks behind me. "This can only mean one thing: breaking up, or marriage."

"Shut up, you jerk!" I push him as I guide Fez into the living room with me.

"Jackie, what is there to talk about? Did you not try the glorious punch that Miss Kitty made for us? It is fantastic!" Fez throws his arms in the air for effect.

"Fez, listen to me." I sit down next to him and give him the gentlest look possible. "I'm not sure if this... if we... if we're right for each other."

"Jackie, what are you talking about? You're the one who said I was the perfect guy for you in the first place?" Fez says.

"I know, but... I'm just..." I trail off and shrug. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, no, no, I get it," he says. "No lady wants to be with the Fez anymore." He shakes his head sadly.

"No, Fez, I'm sure there are plenty of girls out there! Just go to the Hub! There are plenty of less pretty girls there!" I smile reassuringly at him.

"I wish I knew why you..." He trails off to think, then grins. "You know, skanks /are/ always at the Hub!" He gets up proudly and puffs out his chest. "Ladies, I'm coming!" He starts to head towards the door until I stop him.

"Fez... it's after midnight. The Hub is closed," I remind him. Typical Fez.

"Oh, yes. Well, I will just have to wait until tomorrow then," he says as he walks into the kitchen.

I follow him and see Steven walking towards Fez. "So which one was it?" I hear him ask.

"Ah, the first one," Fez says, shrugging. "It's okay, though. There are plenty of sluts at the Hub!"

"That I can't deny, Fez!" Steven pats Fez on the back. It was more than a little obvious that Steven had been drinking. He then started heading towards me. "So why'd you give Fez the ole' boot?"

"Does it really matter, Steven?" I ask, crossing my arms and rolling my eyes at him.

"No. What matters is how big of a bitch you're being right now!" He laughs and points at me. "That was a good one."

"You're an idiot," I say as I push past him and try to see where Donna is, but I realize that she and Eric must have gone upstairs. Sighing, I sit at the kitchen table. Steven sits next to me.

"Did you like Sam?" he asks me, one eyebrow raised.

"No, I don't, and you knew that." I turn my head so I'm not looking at him.

"Why didn't you like her?" he asks. "Were you jealous?"

I stand up. "I can't handle this right now." I go down to the basement to find Eric and Donna making out on the couch.

"Gross!" I say, sitting down between them on the couch.

"Jackie, we haven't seen each other in like, forever. You think you could let us be alone?" Eric says, sounding irritated.

"You had enough time, Eric. I need to talk to Donna. Right now." I give Donna a demanding look.

She sighs. "Jackie, what do you want?"

"I just broke up with Fez. And now Steven's being all drunk and weird. And now-"

"Wait." Donna stops me. "You broke up with Fez? Why?"

"Because he was just... Fez! I don't know!" I shake my head. "Do I /need/ an explanation?"

Eric laughs slightly. "You know, she's got a point."

Donna punches him lightly on the arm. "No, she doesn't." She turns to me. "Fez is a great guy, and he's been friends with us for years now. Why do you have to go and break his heart?"

I smile. "Well, you see, Donna, I didn't-"

"You know, Jackie, I think you did. I think you're just too heartless to even notice. You think everybody is unworthy of you and it seems like you won't give anybody a chance." She stops to think, then starts again. "You just... you've always been that way! You need to think less of yourself and more of other people! God, you're so /selfish/!"

I stare at her, unable to speak. Donna has never told me off like that before, for as long as I've known her. Finally, I grasp the ability to speak again.

"Well, you know, Donna, if I'm so selfish, then I guess it won't make a difference to you whether I'm here or not, will it?" Without giving her a chance to answer, I rush upstairs to grab my coat. I'm about to walk out the side door when Steven comes up to me.

"Jackie," he says quietly, touching my arm lightly.

"Steven, I don't have time for this." I slam the door shut behind me and get in my car. I'm so upset right now. I don't even know where to go. I'm just going to keep on driving until maybe, I'll want to stop. 


	2. The Second Mistake

**SET IN 2002**

Looking back on my life, the first mistake I made was slamming that door shut. Although many followed, that mistake changed my life, and made me who I am now... even though I was only eighteen.

Tomorrow, I'll be forty-one. It's hard to believe that I could ever be so old. My life never turned out the way I had thought it would. Without my father's support and money, I had nothing, which is what I never thought I'd have.

Now, of course, I have more than nothing. However, I'm in the middle of getting a divorce. My second. Happy birthday to me.

And as I'm sitting in my living room, on the couch, looking back on my life, I feel tortured and blessed at the same time. I'm happy I've gone through all of the things I had. I'm stronger.

My eyes wander over to the bookshelf, as I spot my old yearbook, from 1978. I was a junior. I get up and grab it, leafing through it until I reach the senior page.

The first person I see is Fez. He was one of the first people in the yearbook, because his last name starts with an 'A'. I'm not sure how to pronounce it though.

I remember him. He was always happy, even though nobody could understand him. I dated him for a while, too. Right before I left.

The next person I see is Eric Forman. I remember exactly how he was. Nerdy, tall, skinny... but he was always a nice guy, too.

Next I see Steven Hyde. He was messy, crude, and gross, but he was a good boyfriend, until he turned into a jerk.

Then, I see Michael Kelso. He was always super handsome, but totally dumb. I can't believe that at one point, I claimed that I would marry him. I mean, really... who's dumb enough to marry their first love?

Finally, I see Donna Pinciotti. Although she didn't go to Point Place High School that year, they still had her graduation picture in the yearbook. Her hair was still red. I remember when I dyed it. I remember when I used to call her a giant. I remember a lot of things about Donna.

I flip to the junior section to find my picture when the front door opens. I look to see who it is. It's my twenty-two year old daughter.

"Molly!" I jump up from the couch and hug her. "Sweetie, where've you been? I haven't seen you in weeks!"

"I've just been down lately. I haven't felt like leaving my apartment much," she replies, shrugging.

"Are you okay?" I ask suspiciously.

"Yeah. I think it's just the weather." She eyes the yearbook. "What's that?"

"One of my high school yearbooks," I say.

"Really?" Molly raises her eyebrows. "Well, I wanna see. I don't think I ever saw you when you were in high school."

"You don't have to. I look exactly the same," I say, smiling to let her know I'm joking. I know I look older.

"Come on, Mom. I wanna see." She grabs the yearbook from me. "What was your last name before you got married?"

"Burkhart," I reply, and Molly flips to the page.

She stares intently at the yearbook. "You were really pretty." She closes the book and smiles, looking back at me. "Yup. Exactly the same."

I smile at her. We hadn't gotten along much in the past few years, but somehow, things were changing. Probably because she found out I was divorcing Paul.

"If people from around here knew me from high school, I'm sure they'd say that you look exactly like me," I say.

She shrugs again, sitting down on the couch, her eyes fixed on the ground. "I saw Aunt Maureen yesterday."

My eyes widen as I hear this. "Did you run into her somewhere, or something?"

"No. I went there." Her eyes don't leave the floor.

"Well... how... how is she?" I ask.

"She's good. Everything's so different, though," Molly comments.

Maureen was my old best friend. We were really close, and Molly and I lived with her for a while, too. In fact, I lived with her before I had Molly. I start thinking about how I met Maureen.

**FLASHBACK TO 1980**

It's January first, and I'm still driving. I'm so mad that Donna could say those things to me. She is so wrong... and I am so mad.

Eventually, I stop at a gas station. As I walk in, I notice a somewhat familiar face at the register.

"Leo?" I ask in disbelief.

"Hey, loud girl!" He waves me over. "What're you doing here?"

"My car was almost out of gas. What about you?" I ask him.

"Wait... is this a gas station?" Leo asks.

"Uh... yeah?" I reply.

"Man, I thought this was a gift shop! No wonder people are always coming in here asking how much diesel is!" Leo claps his hands together as a young guy in a dirty, plain white t-shirt walks out from the back.

"Leo, I just got the..." The guy stops and looks at me. "Well, hello there."

I smile quickly and look back at Leo. "Who's that guy?"

"Him? Oh, that's Hyde, man." He points at the guy in the white t-shirt.

"No, no, that's not Steven, Leo," I say.

"You're right," the guy replies. "It's Riley. Remember, Leo?"

"Oh... yeah!" Leo nods as if he's trying to comprehend something.

Riley shakes his head and then looks back at me. "So, what do you need?"

"$15 on pump two," I say, and then, realizing that I haven't eaten in hours, grab a bag of chips. "These, too."

"That it, babygirl?" Riley asks me, and I nod. "Alright, you're all set. But, hey... Leo and I just got the stash out. You wanna join?"

I nod slowly, thinking back to the circles we had at Eric's. "Sure."

He grins. "Promise not to call the fuzz on us, okay?"

"I won't." I smile as I walk behind the counter, following them into the back room.

0000

I'm really not sure what happened a few hours ago. I just woke up next to Riley on a dirty old mattress in the back of the Citgo. He rolls over to face me. "Babygirl, you've gotta move your car. It's been at pump two all night."

"Oh, um, I will." I stumble out of bed. Circles never used to make me do /that/.

I move my car, and pull in a parking space. Then, I reenter the gas station.

"Um, Riley? Do you know where Leo went?" I ask.

"Nah, I don't think he knows where he is half the time," he says.

"More like all the time," I say, smiling a little bit. Riley is not my type. He looks dirty and gross, worse than Steven. But his face is good-looking, somewhat. And he's not fat. So, I guess I have to lower my standards. And I guess I did, by doing it with him in the back of a gas station.

0000

One month later,

I'm living with Riley. He has a tiny apartment, down the road from the Citgo. Nobody from the Forman household has even attempted to get a hold of me, so I'm trying stop thinking that anybody cares from there.

Today, Riley's going to his best friend Tom's house to fix something up, and he's making me go with him. I honestly don't want to go, but he got really mad when I said I would rather stay home. I would rather go than make him mad, I guess.

Riley and I are on our way to Tom's, in the car.

"So, I'm thinking of finding my own place soon. Or maybe a job. Or both," I say as we're about to pull into Tom's driveway.

"What?" Riley says abruptly. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I need to be on my own for a while, I guess." I shrug.

"So, basically, you're saying you're too big of a slut to be with me?" He shoots me a dirty look.

I get out of the car and he does the same. "No, I'm saying I need to be less dependent on other people."

"By selling yourself on the street? That seems like a good job for you. You know your way around the bed pretty well." He spits on the ground.

"Okay, why are you being a-" I stop talking. Donna's words echo throughout my head. 'You're too selfish... heartless... you think everybody's unworthy... blah, blah, blah.'

"Being a what?" Riley stares at me, shooting daggers. "Why am I being a what, bitch?"

I start shaking, because he never acted this aggressive before. "Riley, please, we're outside."

"Oh, I know you've done worse things outside." He spits again, before staring at me. "What... were... you... going to say?" he asks slowly.

"Nothing," I say, "just that you were kind of being... a dick."

"A dick?" He slaps me. "Stupid whore, you like dicks, so why do you care?" He hits me again, and now he's holding onto me by my neck.

I'm shaking, and I don't know what to do. Before I know it, I hear somebody running out. She's holding a knife.

She comes up to Riley and holds it up to him. "You'd better let go if you know what's good for you, Riley."

He hesistates, before letting go. "Fine, Maureen."

"Why do you gotta be starting trouble around here, Riley? I knew you were a bad kid all along, but beating your girlfriend? We don't live in Hicktown, you know?" She stares at him angrily.

I take a quick look at her. She has messy blonde hair, no makeup on, and a plain white wifebeater is thrown on her body with a pair of sweatpants. And she says we don't live in Hicktown?

Riley opens his mouth to speak, but she stops him. "Go, now! I don't want a kid like you around my house!" Riley runs off to his car, and starts it. I start to follow him, unsure of what to do.

"Honey, what are you doing?" Maureen's voice stops me.

"I-I'm really not sure." I shrug, my voice shaky still.

"Do you have a place to stay?" she asks me.

"Well... no. I was living with him," I say, gesturing towards where Riley's car just took off.

She rolls her eyes. "Of course you were." Then she smiles at me. "I'm Maureen Mancini. Tom's stepmom. Stay with us, if you'd like."

"I'm Jackie," I simply say, somewhat awkwardly.

"You can share a room with Robin for now. She's my daughter. Almost thirteen." She nods towards the house. "Come on, honey, let's go in."

"Thank you," I say graciously.

"Oh, it'll hardly be a difference. In this house we've got... my husband and I, Tom, Robin, Joe, Nick, Tony, and Pete. And now you." Maureen smiles back at me.

"Wait... so that's nine people? In this house?" I ask in disbelief.

"You're smart," she says. "That's good. How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen," I say. "How old are you?"

"Thirty." Maureen walks toward the house.

I look at her in shock. Thirty?

"You're surprised, right?" Maureen asks without even turning around.

"Um, well... a little."

"My husband is eight years older than me, you see. Tom, Joe, Nick, and Tony are from his first marriage, when he was really young. Robin's from when I was younger. Pete's the only one we've got together. He's almost three." She smiles. "What about you? You have any kids? Siblings?"

"No, neither," I say.

"Alright, well, let's get inside, and you can tell me about yourself, Jackie. Sound good?" Maureen asks.

"Yeah. It definitely does," I reply.

**END FLASHBACK**

That was the day I met my best friend, and found a real home. It was when many things ended, like life in Point Place, but new things began. Maureen's family became my family, and it was the best thing ever.

"Mom, are you okay?" Molly asks me.

"Yeah, I'm just... thinking," I say.

"Okay, well, I just wanted to stop by and see how you were, and how everything was. I have a date tonight." Molly stands up.

"A date?" I ask. "Good!" I open my mouth to start to ask her more questions, but she interrupts me.

"Before you bombard me with questions, I really have to go. I'll explain later." She hugs me. "Bye!" Molly shuts the door, and I'm left alone with my thoughts once again.  



	3. The Third Mistake

After Molly left, I can't help but keep on reflecting on Maureen. I'm wondering what she's doing these days. And her whole family, too. We all were so close, despite our age differences. Maureen was twelve years older than me. Her husband Gary was twenty years older than me. Her daughter Robin, my old roommate, was five years younger than me, but we were still fairly close. And all of her brothers were younger than me, too.

Maureen convinced me to get a decent job. The job, in fact, that I have today. I met my first husband at her house. She accepted me in her home, and now I can't stop thinking about the past...

**FLASHBACK, 1981**

Robin keeps this room so freakishly clean, it's almost intimidating. She and her mother are so neat, you feel threatened if you don't put your clothes in the dresser right away, or put the clean bedding on your bed once it's out of the washer.

Which, is why I'm doing that now.

Robin comes in the room. "Jackie, did you get your-"

"I'm already putting the bedding on, Robin," I say as I thrust the bottom sheet over the mattress.

"Here, let me help you with the pillowcases," Robin offers.

"Why are you so clean for a fourteen year-old?" I ask, rolling my eyes and laughing.

"Why are you not-so-clean for a nineteen year-old?" Robin shoots back, smiling back.

I scoff. "You don't think I'm clean? Well, I don't have OCD like you and your mother do, but at least I try."

Robin just laughs at me and shakes her head.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Later on, Maureen and I go to the drugstore. We were picking up some hair dye, because I normally do Maureen's hair for her. She says I'm the best at it, and now she refuses to let anybody else do it for her.

On the way home, Maureen is driving while puffing on a cigarette. She looks over at me.

"You know... I was thinking. Are you gonna get a job ever, Jackie?" Maureen asks me.

I look at her, shocked. She can't be suggesting that I get a job to pay her for like, rent or something, is she?

"I'm not suggesting that you get a job to pay me or anything, like as rent. I want you to start your life. And getting a job would be doing that," she says, like she read my mind.

I stop to think. What the /hell/ would I do for a job?

Maureen claps her hands before hastily putting them back on the wheel. "I've got it!"

"Really?" I ask, giving her an unsure look.

"You're so good with hair. You should be a cosmetologist!" Maureen says happily.

Cosmetologist... that sounds not that bad, actually. That sounds like something I could do.

I nod. "Yeah. Cosmetologist. That sounds perfect!"

"This is great! We can just... enroll you in beauty school, and... this is gonna be so fun!" Maureen says.

When we get back home, Maureen's husband Gary was standing in the garage with another guy.

"Who you got with you, honey?" Maureen asks as she gets out of the car.

"This is Corey, one of the trainees at work. He's brand new, so I decided to help him out a bit," Gary says. "He's only twenty."

Corey steps out of the garage, so I get a better look at him. He's very good looking, for a poor guy. He has shortish dark hair, with stunning blue eyes and a slight tan.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Mancini," Corey says, shaking Maureen's hand. He looks over at me and smiles slightly. "This your daughter?"

"No, this is Jackie," Maureen says. "She's living with us for a while. Family friend."

"Oh." Corey looks at me. "Nice to meet you, Jackie," he says coolly, smiling.

"Hey," I say awkwardly. It's more than obvious that he thinks I'm pretty, because he keeps checking me out, but I guess it's pretty obvious that I think he's... nice-looking, too.

"I'm gonna... bring the dye inside." I grab the bag sitting on the seat of the car. Maureen follows me, and now we're standing in the kitchen, with the bag on the counter.

"So, he's a cutie, huh?" Maureen asks me.

"Who?" I ask, playing dumb.

"That new guy, Corey. He wasn't subtle at all. And Paul said he's twenty, perfect for you." She smiles over at me, raising her eyebrows.

"I guess so," I say, blushing. "Yeah, he is pretty cute."

"I'll ask him to stay for dinner," Maureen says. "And then you guys can talk. 'Kay?"

"Sounds good," I say, smiling at the idea.

I look outside the screen door and I see Paul and Corey are about to walk inside.

"I'll go ask now!" Maureen hisses, running back outside before they come in, and I quickly exit the kitchen and run to me and Robin's room.

No more than a minute later, Maureen opens my door, then shuts it.

"So?" I ask. "What happened?"

"He said no," Maureen starts, and I feel disappointed. Then Maureen opens her mouth again. "Because he was planning on asking you out to dinner tonight! Smooth, huh?"

I'm stunned, but I smile anyway, at loss for words.

"Well, don't stand there... go out there so he can ask you!" Maureen pushes me out of the door.

I run out and see Corey standing in the kitchen alone.

"Hey," I say. "What're you doing in here alone?"

He laughs. "Gary had to go get something."

"Oh, okay." I say, nodding.

"But, well... Jackie, we don't really know each other... but, do you want to get to know each other together tonight at dinner?" he asks, not even sounding nervous.

"Yeah," I try to sound cool and calm, but I just sound nervous.

"Okay." He nods. "Meet me outside in twenty minutes?"

"Sounds good." I smile, and leave to go get ready.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

The date went really well. Corey seems really nice, and he's sweet. We're almost home now, pulling into Maureen and Gary's driveway.

"Well, how was it? Yes or no, on my part?" Corey asks as he puts the car in park.

"It was great. Your really great." I smile. "We should... do it again some time."

"Really? Because I think you're really great." He smiles and leans in toward me, cupping my chin and kissing me.

We kiss for a few seconds before pulling away. "That was nice," I mumble.

Corey nods, and we kiss again. And again, and again, and again...

**END FLASHBACK**

My thoughts are cut short when the door opens again. It's my thirteen year-old son Asher, and my eleven year-old daughter Spencer, back from school.

"Hey, kids." I smile at them as they shut the door.

"Hi, Mom," the kids mumble.

Asher and Spencer have been spacing themselves from me in the past month. The divorce is confusing them, I think. I know that they don't think it's fair, and I feel kind of bad for transferring this onto them.

"How were your days?" I ask.

"Fine," they say in unison, starting to walk up the stairs.

I sigh, watching them go up. It's sad that they have to go through this. Normally, I would feel bad, because I used to think that good-looking people shouldn't feel sadness. But my way of thinking has changed over the years, and I know that isn't true. However, my kids /are/ very good-looking, and I know it.

Molly, my oldest, looks almost exactly like I did as a teenager, only she's a bit taller, and has bigger boobs.

Asher, my only son, has dark hair. He doesn't care about much, and that's probably why he has had a girlfriend every week since the day he turned ten.

Spencer has dark hair, too, that's long and curly. She can be a little brat, but I know that I'm always her favorite person at the end of the day. At least, I used to be.

Thankfully, neither Asher nor Spencer looks like Paul. Unfortunately, I think they inherited his attitude.

I frown. My kids used to love me. Now, Paul has been spending more and more time with them. I think he's turning them against me or something. Now, they seem to hate me.

I get up and go up the stairs, first knocking on Asher's door.

"Yeah?" I hear him call.

"It's Mom. Can I come in?" I ask.

"Whatever."

I open up the door to see him playing video games. "What do you want?" he asks.

"I need to talk to you, Ash. Can you please shut that off?" I ask, pointing to the game.

He groans, but does as I say. "What?" he sounds irritated.

"Can you tell me... well... has Dad been saying anything about me?" I ask curiously.

He shrugs. "I don't know."

"Yeah, you would. I mean, has he been saying anything to you or Spence?" I ask again.

"I already told you, I don't know," he explains again, then turns back to his game.

I turn his shoulder, making him face me abruptly. "Asher Thomas! Look at me." Then I feel bad. "Why... why are you kids ignoring me lately?"

Asher sighs. "Mom, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm thirteen now. I'm older. I never really hung out with you before anyway. Nothing's really changed with me. Maybe you should talk to Spence."

I stop and think. "You know, you're right."

"I know." Asher turns on the Xbox again.

"Okay. Okay, I'll go talk to Spencer." I leave the door open as I exit the room, going to my daughter's room.

"Hi, honey," I say as I open the door.

Spencer is laying on her bed, watching TV. "Hi."

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I ask her.

"Yeah, but Dad should be here in ten minutes so hurry up," she says.

"Why is your father gonna be here in ten minutes?" I ask abruptly.

"He's taking me and Ash out to dinner..." she says as though it's obvious.

I sit on her bed. "Okay, Spence, honey... I'm not sure why you and Ash have suddenly turned against me or whatever... but, could you tell me?"

She rolls her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Obviously somebody... your father... told you something that made you mad at me. What is it?"

"I don't know." She shrugs.

"Come on, honey. You used to be my little girl. Somehow that changed." I look straight at her and push her hair back. "Will you please tell me?"

She sighs. "You cheated on Daddy, didn't you?" she asks.

I give her a strange look. "No! I /never/ cheated on him. What made you think /that/?"

"Well, you guys are getting a divorce..." She frowns.

"That doesn't always mean that somebody's cheating," I point out. "Listen, your father and I... we stopped getting along. We grew apart, and we kind of... got sick of each other. That's why we're getting a divorce."

Spencer slumps her shoulders. "Daddy said that you were gonna move away, like where Molly lives."

"Me?" I ask in disbelief. "No. I never said that." No way would I ever do that. Molly lives near Point Place. We're over an hour away from there, anyway. Where would Paul get that from?

"Okay. Good." Spencer sighs.

"Spence, if I ever moved, I'd be taking you and Ash with me, believe me," I say. "I love you two. I could never leave my kids."

Spencer hugs me from the side, and I hug her back. "I love you, too, Mom."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A half hour late, Paul arrives home.

"Nice to see you're early," I comment sarcastically as he comes in through the door.

"Come on, Jackie, when are you gonna leave?" he asks, irritated.

I tilt my head to the side. "Speaking of, apparently I'm moving by Molly now?"

"What are you talking about?" Paul asks me.

"Well, Spencer told me that you said I was moving away. Far away. Is this part of your little plan?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I give up. I don't know what you're talking about anymore."

"Shut up, Paul. You want me out of here, and you want the kids to hate me. Admit it." I smirk at him.

"Yeah, I want you out of here, but I don't want the kids to /hate/ you. I mean, a strong dislike is good enough for me." He shrugs casually.

I give him a death glare. "You think you're funny, asshole. I'll see you later; take care of the kids, /please/."

"I always do!" He waves me out of the door after I grab my keys. I'm not sure where he wants me to go for the night, exactly, but I'll find a place. 


	4. The Fourth Mistake

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys, they mean a lot. I'm hoping to update on my other stories soon, too. Summer is around the corner so I have time for that stuff again. Keep reviewing :)! Btw, I changed things up a tiny bit. Molly is now a year or so younger.

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**FLASHBACK, 1981**

Ohmygod. This can't be happening.

I'm looking down at a... test. A test that is pretty much the scariest damn thing I've ever seen in my life. Like, a life-changing test. Way scarier than the SAT's.

And the plus sign is definitely not a good thing.

I need to talk to Maureen, so I run into the family room. I see her sitting on the couch, watching Facts of Life with Robin and Tony.

I run up to her. "Maureen... can I talk to you in my room, please?"

She gives me a weird look. "Okay..."

We go into me and Robin's room, and I quickly shut the door. "I have to tell you something really important and you have to promise that you won't freak out on me."

"Okay," she says again, wary.

I pull out the test and show her.

"Jackie, all I can say is that better be yours and not Robin's," she says, eyeing the plus sign.

"Yes, it's mine, but isn't this /terrible/! Isn't this the worst thing that could /possibly/ happen?" I throw my hands in the air.

"No, it's not. It happened to me," Maureen offers.

"Yes, but... I mean..." I trail off slowly. I'm not sure what to say.

"You'll be fine. I promise. The worst part is telling Corey. Actually, no, the worst part will be the giving birth part, but telling Corey could be a close second," Maureen says.

"Great," I groan.

"No, it won't be that bad. But you have to talk to him. Right now, okay?" she asks me.

"Okay... I mean... I'll call him," I manage to say.

**FAST FORWARD TO mid-1982**

Corey and I are married now. And our daughter Molly is just beautiful. She's five weeks old, and is so good. She hardly cries.

We live in Corey's apartment, right near Maureen's. And everything's going great.

Corey and I are so in love. I've never felt this passionate about a guy before. It's like, with him I feel so much. I can't imagine anything ever going wrong in this relationship.

I'm rocking Molly, putting her to sleep, when Corey walks in. "Hey, honey," he greets me.

I put Molly down in the crib, then run over and kiss him, a lot. "How was work?"

"Good. But this is so much better," he says, laughing as we start making out again.

We continue in doing so for about five minutes. Then I hear Molly start to stir, and I get up. Corey follows me.

"Hey, Moll," he says, smiling down at her.

Molly yawns, and I pick her up. "I was thinking about heading down to Maureen's for a little while tonight," I say.

"Leaving me alone again? Alright." Corey stops, shaking his head. "You bringing Molly?"

"If you want me to," I say. "Do you?"

"It doesn't matter to me," he says.

"Then yeah, I'll take her." I smile at him and give him a quick kiss before grabbing Molly's diaper bag.

"Hey, hey, before you leave," Corey says, running up to me. Then he kisses me again, more passionately than before. "I love you," he murmurs to me before I walk out the door.

"I love you, too." I hold Molly up, making her give a little wave. "She says, 'Bye, Daddy'."

Corey smiles and kisses Molly on the head.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Looking back, I wish I was living life like it was a few weeks ago. Right now, I'm sitting at Maureen's, terrified. Corey just beat me again. I'm still not sure how it happened, but I'm scared.

He started doing this about a week ago, whenever he gets mad at me, or he's in a bad mood. He apologizes continuously when it's over, but he still continues to do it, normally a few days after. I still haven't told Maureen, because I'm a little afraid of what she's gonna say.

Molly is asleep in a crib in my old room, while I'm sitting in Maureen's kitchen while she cooks.

"Jackie, you staying for dinner?" Maureen asks.

"Yeah..." I trail off slowly, thinking.

"Alright." She wipes her hands off and turns to face me. "Jackie, what's wrong? You look so sad."

"Nothing." I smile weakly. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, right." Maureen sits next to me at the table. "Is everything okay? Is your job okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," I say distractedly. I got a job at a salon a few months back.

"Okay, then," Maureen says, going back to the counter.

"Maureen, is something wrong with me? Like, do I attract guys that... are violent?" I ask timidly.

She whips around. "Did something happen with Corey?"

I shrug slowly. "I don't know."

Her face turns angry. "Did he hit you?"

"I... well... yeah. He has been," I say as I nod slowly.

Maureen's eyes grow wide. "He hasn't hurt Molly has he?"

I shake my head.

"God, what an asshole!" She furiously paces around the kitchen. "You and Molly are moving back in here; I don't care what he says."

No. I knew she would do this. "But-"

"No, no 'buts'. You can't stay there. Let's go grab your stuff right now," she says, grabbing the keys.

"No! I mean, I love him!" I insist.

"I know you do. But if he's hurting you, it's not worth it," Maureen shoots back. "Robin, watch Molly for us if she gets up! And Tom, watch the stove!"

"Alright, Mom," her two children reply.

Maureen grabs my arm, forcing me to get into the car with her. "You are not staying there with him. Is he there right now?"

"No. He went to the bar," I say.

"He drinks? Since when?" Maureen asks.

"Since recently," I reply.

"Well, that's why. Obviously he's doing this because of the alcohol." Maureen frowns as we pull in the apartment complex.

"Let's go grab your stuff. Hurry!" she says as we rush into the building.

As upset as I am right now, and as much as I don't want to do this, I'm really thankful that I have a friend like Maureen to fall back on. She'll look after me no matter what, especially when even I don't know what's best for me. She's like my best friend, and the mom I never had, all in one. That's what makes her so special to me.

**END FLASHBACK**

As I get into the car, I think about all of the memories that I've had with Maureen and her family. I really want to go there, but I don't feel like it's the right time. I mean, it's been so long.

So, when I start driving, I find myself driving as though I'm going to Molly's apartment. However, I know that I have a different destination in mind.

So, after an hour of driving, I found myself in the home that I actually grew up in. I haven't been there for so long. It's like, I've felt the need to go there ever since I left, but I never allowed myself, until now. I mean, things are changing. I think I deserve to allow myself to go there.

I'm driving up and down the street where Eric and Donna used to live. I know that new families probably live in those houses. However, it seems that when I drive past Eric's old house, there's a Vista Cruiser in the driveway.

It must be a sign. It has to be. Hesitantly, I pull into the driveway, get out of the car, and knock on the door.

After standing on the porch for a few seconds, the door opens, revealing a teenage girl.

"Yeah?" she asks.

"Um, hi. You wouldn't, by any chance, happen to be a Forman, would you?" I ask slowly.

She rolls her eyes. "Dad, it's a telemarketer!"

"No, no, no, it's not, I swear!" I insist. "Can I... talk to one of your parents?"

She sighs. "Fine. Dad!"

I hear frantic running, and suddenly the door opens a little wider, revealing none other than Eric Forman.

"Yes, what-" Eric stops midsentence, looking at me intently. "Are you... Jackie?" he asks in disbelief.

I nod. "Yeah. I was... in town for the first time in a while. I thought I'd stop by."

"Jenny, go get your mom!" Eric yells to the living room. Then he turns to me. "Oh, uh, come in, come in."

"So do you, like, live here now?" I ask.

"Yeah, Donna and I do, with our two kids," Eric replies.

"So you and Donna finally got married, huh?" I ask.

Eric smiles. "Yeah, after we both graduated from college. You know we got back together New Year's 1980. After that, I went back to Africa, came back that May, and went to college with Donna. Then we-"

"Jackie?" Donna's surprised voice echoes from the staircase.

I smile lightly as I see her descend from the stairs. "Hi, Donna."

"Oh my God, it's been forever! We were, what... eighteen?" she asks in disbelief.

"Yeah... I think so," I say.

"That's so weird..." Donna says quietly. "That's almost how old Jenny is now."

"Jenny's... your daughter?" I ask, and then feel dumb. "Well, obviously."

"Yeah," Donna says, while Eric says, "She's the one who opened the door for you."

"Oh, okay," I say, nodding.

"Yeah, and our son Adam is at his friend's house right now, or else I'd tell him to come out," Eric says. "He's twelve."

"Do you have any kids?" Donna asks me.

"Um, yeah," I say. "Asher's thirteen, Spencer's eleven, and Molly's almost twenty-one."

"What?" Eric and Donna ask in disbelief.

"Yeah, I had her young," I say. "Actually, that was with my first husband. The other two are with my current husband. Who, I'm currently divorcing."

"Huh," Donna says, obviously unsure of what to say.

"I know... my life is nothing like I thought it would be." I shrug. "It's gonna get better. I mean, I can only hope that."

"That's a good way to think," Donna agrees.

Jenny walks by again, and Donna pulls her over. "Jenny, this is me and Dad's old friend Jackie. Jackie, this is Jenny. She's seventeen."

"Hi," I smile at her. She's very pretty. Her hair is blonde, probably dyed, and she's actually not all that tall, which is surprising, because both of her parents are.

"Nice to meet you," she says distractedly.

I turn back to Eric and Donna. "So... have either of you talked to anybody else from the group?"

"Well, as far as I know, Kelso's still in Chicago..." Donna trails off thoughtfully.

"Yeah, the last time we saw him was... well, it had to be almost ten years ago," Eric says.

"He still wasn't married or anything," Donna says.

"Fez actually owns that salon now. We still see him quite a bit, actually. He got married to a girl named Theresa. They have one son. He's pretty good friends with our son, actually," Eric says.

"Oh, wow," I say.

"Yeah, and I'm not really sure what happened to Hyde. He's still around, I guess. I ran into him a few years ago," Eric says again.

"Huh," I say. "Weird." 


	5. The Fifth Mistake

**FLASHBACK, 1989**

I just got married last year, to the greatest man. His name is Paul, and he's so friendly and nice.

I know that I'm safe when I'm with him. I know that he would never hurt me. I think that's why I like him so much.

I finally moved out of Maureen's about a year and a half ago. Molly is seven years old, and I'm expecting Paul's child, the first planned child I've had.

Corey and I got divorced about four months after I had moved out of the apartment. Molly wasn't even one yet. Neither of us have seen him since, although she still has his last name.

Everything is falling into place, it seems. I mean, things should feel right. So, they are. Right?

I'm driving to Maureen's house. It's a Saturday night, so I left Molly with a sitter so I could run up to my friend's house for a few hours.

There's only one car in the driveway, which mean that only Maureen is home. All of her kids have grown up and moved out, besides for Robin, who's twenty-one, and Pete, who's eleven.

I walk inside, looking around for somebody. I don't see or hear anybody, until I reach the hall. Then, I see somebody.

It's Maureen. And oh my God. She's lying there, lifeless.

I run and grab the phone immediately, ready to call 911 and Robin.

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She attempted to commit suicide.

I knew that she had previous problems with depression, but I thought that had been over since she had been subscribed the medication. Ironically, she used this medicine to try and take her own life.

I can't say anything right now. I don't know what I would say if I had the ability.

Robin has handled the situation so inappropriately. I don't even know what's going on. But, everything's just kind of spinning, and I don't know if I can handle this anymore.

If my best friend is selfish enough to attempt to leave me, and her entire family, in this world without her, maybe she's not my real friend at all.

Things can't possibly be /that/ bad.

And if they were... well, she never showed it. I would have been happy to help, too.

I don't think I can set foot in that house again, or in the path of any of these people.

Although I had been driving up to the hospital, I quickly turn around. I can't handle seeing Maureen, or any of the Mancini's, ever again.

**END FLASHBACK**

That was the last time I saw any of them. And it's 2002 now. Twelve years. That's quite a long time.

I think of that as I'm on the way home from Eric and Donna's. It was quite possibly the saddest day of my life. I mean, I practically cut my own family out of my life. That's what it felt like.

As I'm driving home, I consider the possibility of me stopping by Maureen's house. I know where her new home is.

However, it's too late, anyways. I think I'll just stop at Molly's and see how her date was. I'm right by her apartment place anyways.

Five minutes later, I arrive and get buzzed in, so I knock on her apartment door.

A tall guy who looks to be around twenty-five opens up the door, then gives me a quizzical look. "You're not Molly..."

"Um... no," I say, unsure of what to say.

"Are you, like, her sister or something? Because you look kind of like her," he adds.

"No, no." I smile at the subtle compliment. "I'm her mom. Who are you?"

"I'm Dario, Molly's roommate," he replies. "Come in." He leads me in.

I've been to Molly's apartment before, but she never told me she got a new roommate.

I remember her old roommate, Veronica, used to be very unorganized, and the apartment was a complete mess. But, after Veronica moved in with her new boyfriend, I didn't think that Molly had gotten a roommate. Especially one so handsome!

The apartment looks great now. It looks like a new place, actually. It's clean, and everything's rearranged. I think she got new furniture. Maybe Veronica took some of the old stuff with her.

"So, is Molly still out?" I ask.

"I guess so," Dario replies. "She was really excited for this date."

"Yeah..." I trail off. "So, how long have you lived with Molly for?"

"Almost two months," Dario says. "She had an ad in the paper, and I had just gotten kicked out by my girlfriend, so I replied, and I guess that somehow I was better than the other people that replied. Unless nobody else did."

I nod politely. "That's cool."

"Yeah. So, um, wow! You look really young to be Molly's mom," he says nicely.

"Thanks." I laugh. "Yeah, I had her when I was pretty young. I'm forty now, though."

"Really?" he asks, and I nod. "I would have never guessed."

"Yeah, it sucks," I say, as the sound of a key opening the door is heard.

Molly steps in the room, just as Dario leaves. "Hey... Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I was in town, visiting some friends, and I thought I'd stop by and see how your date went," I tell her. "And obviously, it wasn't too well, because he's not coming back here with you."

Molly raises her eyebrows. "No, actually, it was great. I mean, it's already ten. It was getting kind of late."

"Ten?" I give her a look of disbelief. "Honey, a bad date for me is going home after eleven." I pause for her reaction. "Who was this guy, anyway?"

"Scott." Molly shrugs. "I met him one night when I was out with a friend... she knew him somehow, I guess. I found out where he worked, and I just started going in there more often. And then we... mutually decided to go out on a date." She smiles nervously.

"Mutually decided? What does that mean?" I ask.

"Well..." She trails off. "I talked to some of his friends... and told them to put it in his head that he should ask me out. So he did."

I shake my head slowly. "Did he seem into you?"

"Well, yeah! It was really good!" She smiles unconvincingly.

"I don't believe you. I'm just gonna have to show you how to make him interested, okay?" I ask her.

"Fine," she says, crossing her arms.

"You're so pretty," I tell her. "I can't believe you don't use it to your advantage. I mean, you wore that on a date?"

She shrugs. "Is it like, put down Molly day or something?"

"No, I'm just saying. Maybe I should give you a makeover." I smile at her.

She rolls her eyes. "Maybe one day."

"So, you got a new roommate, huh?" I ask her.

"Yeah, Dario. He's nice. You've met him?" she asks me.

"Yeah." I nod.

"He's like... twenty-seven, I think. It's funny, because that sounds so much more older than me," she says.

"About six years," I say. "Not much." Then I make her sit down next to me on the couch. "So, this Scott guy. What's he look like?"

Molly blushes. "I don't know. He's really good-looking. Like, really."

I smile at her. "Sounds like you've really got a crush on him, huh?"

"I guess." She gives a small smile. "I really want him to be into me, though. And he seemed... quick to leave."

"Well, did he kiss you goodbye?" I ask.

"On the cheek," Molly says.

I give her a look, and she knows what it means. "I'll teach you how to make him want you," I say, smiling at her.

"I don't know," she says, frowning.

"It'll work. I'm good at these things," I tell her.

"Alright, I guess," she says.

"Okay. Well, I've gotta go home. Asher and Spencer are probably home already. Paul took them out." I say.

Molly makes a face. She doesn't like Paul.

"I'll see you... tomorrow?" Molly nods. "Okay." I hug her. "Bye."

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The next day, I wake up in the guest room, which is where I've been sleeping for a while.

I know I'm home alone, because Paul is at work, and the kids are at school, so I decide to go back to Molly's again, in order to help her out with this Scott guy.

I call her cell phone, and she picks up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hey. Are you home?" I ask.

"Uh." She sounds uneasy. "No."

"Okay, well, where are you?" I ask.

"I'm... at Aunt Maureen's," she finally replies.

"What?" I'm shocked. Is she over there all the time now?

"You should come, Mom. They miss you," she tells me.

"Molly, I can't just..." I trail off. What do I say? "I can't just walk in there, and-"

"Yes, you can, Mom!" Molly insists. "It's fine. I really want you to come. You know it's just down the street."

I sigh. "I know. It's been so long, though, and-"

"Just come," Molly says. Then, she hangs up on me.

I roll my eyes and grab my keys. This is gonna be tough.


	6. The Sixth Mistake

After getting ready, I drive to Maureen's new house. I can already see Molly's car parked in the driveway.

I'm not sure if I'm ready for this. Yet, I'm kind of excited. Slowly, I make my way up the driveway, knocking on the door.

"Hello?" A man I don't recognize is holding the door open for me. He looks like he's a little over thirty, or so.

"Um, hi, I'm Jackie," I say awkwardly. "My daughter Molly is here."

"Oh, you're Molly's mom!" He grins and shakes my hand. "I'm Joel, Robin's husband."

I give him a surprised look. This is going to be weird, seeing Robin and everybody. I mean, Robin seemed like just a little kid to me when I lived there.

I walk into the house, and instantly, I spot my daughter, sitting at the kitchen table with a few other people.

"Mom, come over here," she says, waving me over.

I look over and I see Maureen. She looks the same, just a little bit older. Her hair is still blonde, no gray in it at all. She's holding a cigarette and is giving me the weirdest look. Quickly, she stands up.

"Jackie." She walks toward me, fast, then hugs me. "It's been so long!"

"I know," I say, hugging her back.

"You look so young! And to think that today, you turn forty-one!" She smiles at me.

Oh yeah, it's my birthday. I actually forgot.

"Yeah, wow, thanks!" I smile, then look back at the table. Robin is sitting next to Molly, smoking. She looks so much older. I mean, she's wearing her pajamas, and her hair is piled on her hair, but she's so much different than the last time I saw her.

She smiles at me. "Hey." She waves.

"Hi." I weakly smile back.

"Sit down," she insists, so I do as she says.

I look at who I'm sitting next to. A young girl is eating Fruity Pebbles next to me.

"This is my daughter, Miranda," Robin says, noticing me looking at her. "She's eleven. From my first marriage."

I give her a questionable look.

"Oh, come on. You remember Danny? My brothers' old friend?" she asks me.

"Yeah, the funny one," I say.

"I married him." She gets an irritated look on her face, but doesn't say anything bad because Miranda is still sitting there.

"Then, four years ago, I married Joel. We have a son, Jacob. He's two," she explains.

"Oh, okay." I nod. "So, tell me, what's going on with your other kids?" I ask Maureen.

"Well... Tom's son is sixteen now. He's a good kid, I guess. His name is Tyler," Maureen explains. "And Joe has two daughters, Alison and Sabrina. They're loud, and... never mind. Alison is twelve, and Sabrina is ten."

"Oh, wow. Okay," I say, nodding for her to continue.

"Nick's married now. He and his wife Rachel have one daughter, Emily, and just had a son, Nick Jr. He has a stepdaughter, too. I don't usually talk to him much, though. And Tony joined the Marines over two years ago. We haven't seen him in a while. And, Pete got married last year. He and his wife Natalie are expecting. Due in the summer." Maureen nods. "That's pretty much it."

"Wow." I'm shocked. "So much has gone on. How's Gary?"

"He's good, still working. He can't wait to retire, though," Maureen says.

I smile. "It's been so long. I've missed so much."

Maureen nods, and starts telling me more that I missed.

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About two hours later, Molly and I leave.

"See, Mom," Molly says. "I told you that you should come!"

"Yeah," I say. "I'm glad I did."

"So, are you going home now, or what?" she asks me.

"Do you want me to go with you? It doesn't matter to me," I say.

"Yeah, come to my apartment," she says.

"Alright." We get in our cars and drive to her place.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

After getting out of my car, I follow Molly up the stairs to her room.

She opens the door, and we go in.

"So, can you help me with Scott?" she asks. "I'm almost... well, I'm desperate."

"No problem," I say, smiling at her. "Give me your phone."

"What?" she asks, unsure.

"I said give me your phone. I'm gonna call him, and act like you, okay? We have similar enough voices."

Reluctantly, she hands me the phone. I flip it open and go through her contacts until I find 'Scott.'

I call, and nobody picks up. Actually, I noticed that it went to voicemail after one ring. He must have ignored her call!

After voicemail picks up, I decide to leave a message.

"Hi, Scott, it's Molly, from the other night. Listen, I know we didn't have the greatest date the other night. I mean, ten o'clock? Most dates I don't leave until at least midnight. But, anyway, I think it'd be nice for us to try one more time. You seem like a cool enough guy. Alright, well, you know my number. Ciao." I hang up the phone, smiling at Molly, who looks horrified.

I give her a stern look. "In order to get a guy interested, you have to be open-ended. Be cool, act uninterested, and like it means nothing to you. Like you have guys like that asking you out every week. Okay?"

Molly nods. "I guess so."

I open my mouth to speak again when my phone rings. I pick it up. "Hello?"

"Jackie, hi, it's Donna," a familiar voice says from the other line.

"Oh, hey, Donna," I say. "What's up?"

"Today's your birthday, right?" she asks.

"Yeah, it is," I say absentmindedly. I keep forgetting it's my birthday. In fact, I'd almost rather not remember.

"Well, I'm off work today. Do you want to grab lunch or something? I mean, if you're not busy," she adds.

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'm actually in your area right now. What time sounds good for you?" I ask.

"Well, I'm set in an hour. Is that fine with you?" she asks.

"Yeah, that's totally fine," I say.

We find a place to meet, and I'm excited to meet her in an hour.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

After leaving Molly's, I meet Donna at some restaurant she recommended.

"It's really good here," she comments once I sit in the booth.

"Yeah, I think I've heard of it once or twice," I say.

Donna picks up a menu and hands it to me. "So, forty-one? It's hard to believe we're getting so old."

"Don't say that!" I laugh. "I don't want to be reminded of how old I am!"

Donna laughs. "Yeah, I know what you mean." She smiles. "So what are your kids like?"

I sigh, raising my eyebrows and laughing a little. "Molly's great. I hadn't talked to her in a while. She hated Paul, and... I don't know. Just sort of a falling out. But now that Paul and I are divorcing, I guess she felt it was okay to come back into my life. Yesterday, actually." I laugh slightly. It feels like ages ago.

"Wow. Kind of ironic. Everybody's coming back into your life at once, huh? First your daughter, now me and Eric," Donna comments.

"Yeah," I say, thinking about Maureen and the rest of the Mancinis, too.

"And what about your other kids?" Donna asks me again.

"Well, Asher's just doing his own thing right now, you know. He's getting to be that age where he doesn't care about anything but video games and food. And girls, probably." I smirk. "And Spencer's so sweet. She's very... innocent, almost. You know? I'm glad to have her like this while it lasts, though."

"You'd better," Donna says. "Jenny... she can be a little brat. She's seventeen now. She can be sweet, when she wants to be. She's gonna be out of the house in a year or two, though, so I have to enjoy her being here, because I do love her a lot."

"Yeah. She's really pretty," I say, thinking back to when she opened the door for me. She has blonde hair, and was thin, yet curvy. Like a perfect blend between Eric and Donna, because she's not too lumberjacky or rail-like.

"Yeah, she knows." Donna laughs. "She has had a pretty steady boyfriend for a while, though. His name is Chad. I'm not too fond of him. Eric hates him."

"Isn't that the dad's job, though?" I chip in, smiling.

"Yeah, I guess so," Donna says. "Chad makes it easy to not like him, though. He ignores us most of the time, brings Jenny home past curfew... he even treats Jenny like crap sometimes. I wish she'd see."

"Girls tend to be oblivious to that kind of thing. I mean, especially with your first love. I guess you wouldn't understand as much, since you are married to your first love. But you want to ignore the flaws in order to make the relationship last. Plus, the fact that you're in love helps," I offer.

"I guess." Donna shrugs as a waitress comes up to us and asks us for our order.

After ordering, Donna asks me about Paul.

"How did you two meet?" she asks.

I sigh. "Well..."

**FLASHBACK, 1988**

It's a Saturday, and I'm working at the salon. My friend Vicki, who works at the station next to me, just walked in the door.

"Hey, Vic," I shout over to her.

She waves lightly, and I notice that she's crying.

"Vicki, come here! What's wrong?" I call to her.

She walks over slowly, looking at the floor. "My boyfriend... he just broke up with me."

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry!" I say, trying to console her.

"Yeah, he's such a jerk. He said it's because I'm too busy or something. He /never/ wanted to go out on dates or anything. He's the one who was too busy!" Vicki insists.

"I know, guys can be jerks," I agree. "But it'll be fine, eventually. Just forget about him. If he was always a jerk, he doesn't matter."

"I guess so." She shrugs, still crying. "I don't know if I can work today," she says, wiping her eyes.

"Well, go tell Sherry, I guess," I say, referring to our boss.

"Alright. Thanks for helping me, Jackie," she says, going to Sherry's office.

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About two hours later, Vicki has gone home. However, when the door opens, a man enters with a boxful of stuff.

I'm the only one in the salon section of the building, so I walk up to him. "Yes?" I ask.

"Is Vicki here?" he asks.

"No, she... she went home," I say.

"Son of a bitch," he mutters. "Well, can you tell her that Paul stopped by?"

"I guess so," I say. "Are you her... ex-boyfriend?"

"Yeah, I'm dropping off all of her stuff. In fact, could you just take it for me and drop it off at her station?" he asks.

"Uh, yeah. I guess I can." I take the box from him but almost drop it due to it's heaviness. Paul quickly takes it before I can drop it.

"Sorry about that," he says. "I forgot how heavy it is."

"It's... fine." I lead him to Vicki's station.

"So, you're a hairdresser here?" Paul asks me.

"Yeah. I've worked here for a few years now," I say. "I'm Jackie, by the way." I extend my hand to him.

"Paul." He shakes my hand. "But we've already established that."

Somehow, Paul and I continue talking, and before I know it, I've given him my number.

Then, he leaves. "I'll call you sometime, Jackie!" he shouts before the door closes.

Wow, I'm a terrible friend, I decide.

**END FLASHBACK**

"So you stole your friend's ex-boyfriend, married him, had two of his kids, and now you're divorcing him," Donna clarifies.

"Yes. I'm a horrible person, aren't I?" I ask, inspecting my nails.

"No. You're just... human," Donna says.

"That's fine, I guess," I say.

"Yeah," Donna agrees.

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After a nice lunch with Donna, I leave the restaurant. Of course, Donna had insisted on paying, due to it being my birthday. And right back, I said I should pay, because I really don't want it to be my birthday. But in the end, Donna won, by throwing the bill at the waitress.

It was a good time, and I told her that we should meet up again, with Eric next time. She agreed.

Now, it's about four. I decide to head back to Molly's. I feel sort of bad for leaving her there when I said I would stay, although I did call Scott.

I drive to her apartment, and get buzzed into the building. After knocking on the door, Dario opens it, and I feel a sense of deja vu.

"We meet again," he says in a deep, dramatic voice jokingly, swinging the door open quickly.

I laugh. "Is Molly home?"

"Actually, no," he says. "But come in."

I step in and sit on the couch. "So where is she?" I ask. "I probably should have called her before I came."

"No, it's no big deal. But yeah, she's with that Scott guy again. He called her and told her to meet him up at that coffee place where he works. I heard you left him a pretty intriguing message?" He gives me a questionable look.

"Yeah, well, I pretended I was Molly. I'm trying to... coach her through this. She's never actually had a serious relationship, and I think it'd be nice for her to be with a guy she really likes," I say.

"So why did you have to pretend you were Molly?" Dario asks.

"She doesn't know much about guys," I admit.

"And you do," Dario asks, but it ends up sounding more like a statement.

I nod, grinning. "I guess so."

"Like what?" he asks. "Special moves, or something?"

"Something like that," I say.

"Well, tell me. Or rather, show me." He stands up, raising his eyebrows and crossing his arms.

And I feel myself blushing. It's weird, because I'm like... fourteen years older than him. But his mussed brown hair is really cute. And his green eyes are shining at me.

So I stand up. And... after a little casual flirting with Dario, showing him my 'special moves', it turns into some heavy-duty flirting.

And before I know it... we kiss. And it's a great kiss. Passionate, deep... just like Dario seems to be. God, is this wrong or what?

This kiss turns into more kisses, and now we're laying on the couch, and now...

Oh, God. I'm a cougar!


	7. The Seventh Mistake

After Dario and I... well, you know, we continued to talk. It was awkward, of course. But I learned a lot about him.

He grew up in Italy. He moved here two years ago, because he always wondered what it was like. His parents are kind, nice people, but they disapproved of him leaving. His younger brother, Paolo, is twenty-three still lives in Italy, and he's trying to be a musician. His younger sister, Emanuelle, is eighteen, and is not very close to him. He works at a restaurant, currently, but he's working to get a better job.

In turn, I decided to tell him a few things about myself. I basically just told him about how I grew up as a spoiled brat until my dad went to prison. I told him about my mom's departure, and how I haven't seen her in over twenty years. And I told him about my old friends, like Eric and Donna, Michael, Hyde, Fez, and Maureen and her family.

He listened well. So did I. It's strange, though, because just minutes before, we were... doing /that/.

Then Molly comes inside. "Hello?" she calls before spotting Dario and I talking on the couch.

"Mom? You're here again?" she asks.

"Oh, wow, I see I'm welcome here," I say sarcastically.

"No, no, I don't mean that. I'm just surprised that you'd be here, waiting for me. How long have you been waiting?" she asks.

"About ten minutes," I lie, glancing quickly at Dario.

"Oh, okay." She throws her coat on the floor and joins us on the couch.

"So how'd it go?" Dario asks.

She shrugs. "I don't know. Either he has no emotion or he doesn't like me. We didn't go on a /date/, but we hung out at the coffee house for an hour or so."

I stand up. "Come here," I tell her as I walk into the bathroom. Turning on the light, I look under the sink and search for the curling iron and her makeup. I find it, so once she comes in the room, I make her sit.

Almost an hour later, she emerges from the bathroom looking almost like a different person. Molly never wears makeup, or does her hair. Now that I've taught her, step by step, how to get it perfect, she's gonna.

Dario compliments her, and I say thank you, because, as I explained to him, it was my doing.

"Come on, Molly," I say. "We're going shopping now."

She looks skeptical. "Okay..."

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Two hours later, we have plenty of new clothes bought for Molly. Now that it's almost eight o'clock, I decide to leave.

"I'll see you later, Molly," I say.

"Bye, Mom," she says.

I drive home, and it seems to take forever. I can't stop thinking. I can't believe I did that, especially right after I told Donna about the horrible things I have done.

I still don't know why I did it. Probably because it felt flattering, and it was nice to be attracted to somebody, because I'm no longer attracted to Paul. I haven't been attracted to him in years. But I definitely don't see a relationship going on with Dario. I don't even know if that's what he wants. I just hope he knows better than to tell Molly.

I pull into the driveway and walk into the house. Paul is standing in the kitchen; I can see him from the door. He's leaning on the counter.

"Yes?" I ask, noticing him looking at me.

"The kids are in bed," he says. "They wanted to do something for your birthday today, but you missed it."

I put my hand to my forehead. "Oh my God. I didn't even think about that."

"Well, obviously," Paul says.

"Shut up," I snap, then start thinking again. I ditched my two youngest children to give my oldest daughter a makeover and to have sex with a twenty-something year old guy? "I-Wow, I feel horrible," I say quietly.

"You should," Paul says.

I roll my eyes at him. "Why don't you just go to bed or something? I can't even stand being near you."

"Likewise," Paul mutters.

It's funny, but the time when Paul and I got along seems like forever ago. Thinking about it, I was never in love with Paul. I mean, I /loved/ him... but I was never /in love/ with him. Like with Corey... it was passionate and all that. We were crazy about each other. It just had to end for, well, obvious reasons. But Paul? I think I only married him because I felt safer that way. I knew he wouldn't hurt me like my previous boyfriends had, plus I knew I wanted more kids.

Those are not the right reasons to marry. Oh well. The divorce is going through, and hopefully this will all be over soon. Paul turned into the biggest jerk ever.

"Why don't you just go for a little bit?" I ask him... well, more like plead. "It'd be nice to have the house to myself for a night."

"If you're so intent on being away from me, why don't you go somewhere? I have no place to go," he adds.

I shrug. "Fine. I'll go out for an hour or so. I have to be home though because I have work in the morning."

"Whatever." Paul waves me off. "See ya."

I slam the door, then remember the kids are in bed. Quickly, before Paul can run out and yell at me, I get into my car again. I decide just to run up to the bar near my house. I call up my friend Tara from the salon, and she agrees to meet up with me there.

I'm driving to the bar, and traffic is surprisingly heavy for nine o'clock.

I'm stuck at a stoplight, and I notice the car next to me is obnoxiously blaring Led Zeppelin. I roll down my window, noticing that this guy's window is down, too, and go to yell, but I notice that a familiar face is in the car.

He stops tapping the steering wheel to the beat and glances over. Then he keeps squinting at me, to see where he knows me from. I'm doing the same.

"Pull over!" he yells, waving to the side. "Pull in that gas station!"

Eh, what the hell. Why not.

So, I pull into the gas station and park. The car parks next to me. The guy gets out, walking toward my car, so I get out, too.

"I know you from somewhere," the guy says.

"Yeah. Yeah, I can tell," I say. "You look really familiar. I'm Jackie."

"Ah, that's it." The guy nods. "It's me, Hyde."

"Ohmigod!" I laugh. "I can't believe I didn't know it was you. This is so weird, because I just saw Donna earlier today."

"Oh, really," he says. "Haven't seen her or Forman in ages."

"Yeah, so what are you doing around here?" I ask. "I didn't know that you lived in the area."

"I don't," he explains. "I'm supposed to be meeting somebody up at some bar. Date, sort of thing."

"So you never married," I conclude.

"Nope. I've had some pretty long relationships, though. Got out of one a few months ago. I have a son, too. He's fourteen. Name's Gage." Steven nods.

"Oh. Wow." I can't imagine Steven having a son. "So what bar are you going to?"

"That one up the street," he says. "Where you headed?"

"Same place, actually," I say. "I was meeting up with somebody I work with."

"Ah. Well, I think I'm gonna blow this date off. You wanna just hang out instead? We could catch up," he says.

"Sure, if you don't mind blowing off your date," I say.

"Nope. Let's go."

We get in our cars and drive to the bar.

After about a five minute drive, we arrive seperately and go in together.

Sitting at a back table, we try and catch up.

"I realized," I conclude, "you always were in the right state of mind. I mean, my life would be a lot less screwed up if I never married."

"What had I always told you, man," Steven says.

"Yeah." I nod. "So, tell me about your son."

"Alright," he agrees. "He's from a long time ago. His mother's a bitch, and she's married now. He's got a half-brother now, too. But Gage, he's a good kid. I see him about... once a week, maybe every two weeks sometimes. He looks nothing like me."

I nod patiently. "That's so strange. I can't imagine you ever having a kid."

"Yeah, well, y'know." He flips the subject to me. "So what's wrong? Problems in your marriage?"

"My second divorce," I say, emphasizing the word 'second.'

Steven raises his eyebrows. "You're kiddin' me."

I shake my head. "The first one was too hasty. And the second one wasn't out of love. I mean, I married the first guy, Corey because we had a daughter together, Molly. She's twenty now. And we divorced because... of complications," I say, not wanting to speak about abuse. "Then Paul... I just felt safer with him, and I guess I just married him. We have two kids, Asher and Spencer, who are thirteen and eleven."

"S'crazy," Steven says. "Who would have thought we all would grow up, huh?"

I nod. "And now I feel too old. If only we knew what we know now back then."

"Yeah," Steven agrees.

Steven and I continue talking for almost three hours, and then I see the time.

"Damnit!" I yell, spotting a clock on the wall. "It's like, one."

"Too late for you?" Steven asks.

"Yeah." I pause. "I mean, I have work in the morning."

"Oh, alright," Steven says.

"Yeah, so, um. I guess I'll..." I trail off, unsure of what to say. "Want to exchange numbers?"

"Uh, sure." We take out our phones and put in each other's numbers. Then, we leave, seperately again.

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Four days go by. I go to work, my kids go to school, and I catch up with Molly in between. Paul and I ignore each other. Donna calls me once, just to talk. Even Steven called me once, and we agreed to meet up again soon.

Then, one day rolls around where I have the day off of work. I'm relaxing around the house, doing some laundry (horrible, right?) when the phone rings.

I answer it, and it's Molly.

"Mom," she says frantically, and she sounds like she's crying.

"Yeah?" I ask. "What's wrong?"

"Can you... /please/ come over?" she asks me.

"Of course!" I say. "I'll be there in a little bit, okay?"

Quickly, I rush to her house to find out what's wrong.  
Almost an hour later, I arrive, and go inside the building. Molly lets me in.

"What's wrong, Moll?" I ask her.

"Scott." She sniffles as we sit on the couch.

"Yeah, what about him?" I ask.

"We... I mean, I... we did this... big thing, and now he-" She stops.

"What do you mean?" I ask, although I have a slight idea. "Don't be afraid to tell me anything."

She sighs and puts her face in her hands. "Scott went on a date with me. I acted confident. The date lasted a long time, and I went home with him. We... had sex. It was my first time, ever. And I thought we were gonna have a relationship or something. And then a day passed, and he never called. So I went to the coffee house and I saw him flirting with this girl. And I walked up to him, and he just said 'hey'. And I said, 'you were just flirting with that girl'. And he just said 'yeah, what about it?'"

"Wow, what an ass," I say, listening to her story.

"Yeah, and then I said, 'well, what about two days ago?' And he says 'that happens all the time. I figured it did for you, too.' And he sounded confused. So maybe being confident isn't good, because it implies that you're a 'f*ck and run' type of person." She keeps crying. "This sounds so stupid, but I feel like my heart is breaking. I feel like I love him because I shared that with him, and now he's just ignoring it."

I try to comfort her. "If he's been like this all along -an asshole- then he's not worth it. I know it sucks hearing that, but you're gonna have to get over it. I'm sorry, honey."

Molly sighs. "I just can't believe how /stupid/ I am!"

"You're not stupid," I say calmly. "You're a girl. We do this; we overthink things. To put it easily... you're nice, and he's not. And you don't seem to relate. There are so many guys out there, Molly. So many of them could appreciate you for what you are. Don't make the mistakes that I did. Don't throw it away for just anybody, and don't replace love with comfort. It's not right."

"I guess not." She wipes her eyes. "I'm glad Dario isn't here," she says.

I tense up nervously. "How come?"

"He's been hearing me cry nonstop for the past day. Now he's at work," she explains.

"Oh. Okay," I say.

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On the way home, I stop at Eric and Donna's house. I explain to Donna about Molly's problem. She sympathizes. Then, I tell her about what Dario and I did.

"What?" she exclaims when I tell her. "Jackie, how are you so stupid?"

"That's not the point," I say defensively. "Well, it is, but you shouldn't tell me that! I feel bad enough as it is!"

Donna shrugs. "That's insane."

"What's insane?" Eric asks as he walks into the living room.

"Jackie hooked up with a twenty-seven year old guy that's living with her daughter," Donna explains.

"What?" Eric explains in the same tone as his wife. "Wait, is he, like, seeing your daughter?"

"No, they're roommates. My daughter is seven years younger than him," I say in an obvious tone.

"Yeah, well, you're... fourteen years older than him!" Eric points out, still shouting.

"Ugh." I put a hand through my hair. "What is wrong with me?"

"I always knew something was wrong with you. Something was off," Eric says. "But this is /terrible/!"

"Oh, shut up, Eric," Donna and I say in unison.

"So, did you guys know that Hyde has a son?" I ask them.

"Yeah," they say.

"And you didn't tell me?" I ask.

"No. We didn't think it mattered," Donna explains.

"Well, it doesn't. But still. That's big," I say defensively. "He wants us all to meet up one day, just like when we would hang out in Eric's basement."

Eric and Donna laugh, reminiscing. "Yeah, back then," Eric says, still smiling.

"That sounds good, though, meeting up with Hyde," Donna comments. "It'll be fun."

"Yeah," I agree.

So we continue talking about Hyde, and then we start talking about Kelso and Fez.

And before we know it, we're relapsing into flashbacks, straight from the '70s, but minus the pot. 


	8. The Eighth Mistake

A/N: Keep reviewing, guys. Thanks.

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**NORMAL POV**

Molly couldn't stop crying. It had been well over two weeks now, and she couldn't get it out of her head that she had gotten screwed over. Well, literally.

Jackie tried to help, but she knew she couldn't solve anything. Mostly, because she knew that a broken heart could only be solved by time. This isn't to say that hearing your mother's comforting words won't calm you down a little bit, either.

Dario tried comforting her, too. He had mostly just gotten sick of the sound of crying, but he put up with it, because he didn't want to complain. He had his own problems to deal with, like his brother Paolo visiting for the month.

Molly had already told Dario that it was okay for Paolo to stay at the apartment the whole time. Dario almost wished that she had said no, though. He liked his space, and in the small, two-bedroom apartment, he knew that Paolo would probably sleep in Dario's room, while he would be stuck on the living room couch.

And that's what happened when Paolo arrived.

Six foot and olive-skinned, with a bright smile and boyish mussed hair, Paolo was waiting at the airport for his brother to pick him up. Plenty of American girls were already looking at him for extended periods of time, trying to make eye contact. Paolo, however, was somewhat of a shy guy, and kept to himself. That only seemed to make the girls want him more, though.

When Dario finally pulled up, Paolo put his things in the car and got in. Away they drove, back to the apartment. On the ride home, the boys had plenty of time to catch up.

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After they got back, Paolo carried his luggage into the bedroom. After that, he and his brother remained sitting on the couch, catching up.

They didn't stop talking when Molly came out of her room, surprisingly, not crying. She was made up and dressed and did her hair.

Paolo quietly said to Dario, "Is that your roommate's mom? The one you hooked up with?"

Little did he know about Molly's bionic hearing.

Dario didn't even get a chance to answer when Molly whipped around, and Dario shot a quick glare at Paolo.

"What did he just say?" Molly said, shooting daggers at Dario. "I don't know who he is, but I heard him say something /very/ unpleasant."

Dario gave a small shrug. "He's my brother. Delusional, did I mention that?"

"No, you never did, and I'm almost positive you're lying, because you would have mentioned it before you brought him into my home!" Molly exclaimed. "Now, what did you do?"

Dario sighed. "Fine. A few weeks ago, your mom and I-"

Molly gasped before he could even finish. "How /could/ you? No, no. Why am I taking this out on you?" She ran to the counter and grabbed the phone, dialing furiously.

Paolo, still on the couch, turned to face his nervous brother. "Angry girl is pretty hot," he said, his accent thick.

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**JACKIE'S POV**

I'm at work, doing somebody's hair, when my cell phone rings. It's Molly, so I definitely have to answer. This girl is getting over a heartbreak, after all.

"I'm sorry, Janet, I have to get this," I explain before opening my cell phone. "Hello?"

"Mom!" Molly explodes over the phone. "You? And D-d-dario?"

Oh damn. "What? What are you talking about, honey?" I ask.

"Don't think I'm stupid, Dario's brother just said something about it," she snaps. "Why? You're /forty-one/."

"Oh." I'm not sure what to say. "Molly, can we just talk about this-"

"Later? Ohh, no, I'm not waiting for later," Molly says. "You need to explain now. Where was I? Were you /supposed/ to be there? And-"

"Yes, I was /supposed/ to be there, I was waiting for you! You were out with... he who will not be mentioned," I say, still sympathetic of her feelings. "And we were waiting, and talking, and... it happened?"

"What do you mean it happened? /It/ does /not/ just happen. I would know!" she yells.

"I know, and it was just... casual flirting, and... it led to more. You know the process. I can't talk about this right now, though," I explain.

"No, I don't know the process, and you should have told me." She sounds genuinely hurt.

I sigh. "Well, I'm sorry, Molly. I didn't think you would want to know. I figured I was doing you a favor by not telling you."

I hear her sigh over the phone. "Whatever. I'll talk to you later." She hangs up the phone.

What the hell was that? And why is Dario's brother in town? And /why/ would he tell Molly about Dario and I?

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**NORMAL POV**

A day passes and so does the steam. Molly went from being super pissed, to angry, to mad, to sad. Now she was in the heartbreak stage again, remembering Scott.

She sat in the kitchen, cleaning up from dinner the previous night (obviously the guys didn't), and Dario walked in.

"Molly," Dario said, now not afraid to talk to her, "You've gotta cheer up."

She shrugged. No response.

"Are you ignoring me because you're still mad or are you ignoring me because you're sad?" Dario asked.

"Mostly the last one," Molly said.

"Okay, listen." Dario sat down at the table next to Molly and lowered his voice. "I know you're all... down and everything. But you haven't talked to my brother at all. And he thinks you're cute. Plus, you're gonna have to get to know him somehow... he's gonna be here for a month."

Molly looked up. "Like hell he thinks I'm cute," she muttered.

"He does. He's said it to me multiple times." Dario nodded to emphasize.

"Alright... so what?" she asked.

"So, how about... you two go do something tonight? I could have my house to myself. It would be nice," he commented.

"Oh really? You're not gonna sneak my mom over?" Molly mumbled.

"We're gonna make those kind of jokes now, huh?" Dario said, rolling his eyes.

"Dario, are you sure it's okay?" Molly asked, her face serious. "I mean, is it creepy to go out with my future uncle?"

Dario mock-punched Molly in the arm. "I'm gonna go talk to my brother about it, okay? Unless you don't want me to."

She shrugged. "Go ahead."

Once Dario walked away, though, she smiled a little. A guy thought she was cute! Especially a guy as cute as Paolo. When she first saw him, she didn't think anything of it, because she figured he'd be way too good for her. But now that she knew that he thought she was cute, she realized he definitely wasn't the ugliest person she'd ever seen.

He was tall, which was a plus, because Molly was 5'7. His skin was tan, and his smile was adorable. He had the sexiest accent, better than Dario's because it wasn't 'faded.' And his hair was cute, shaggy, and light brown.

Maybe trying this wouldn't be so bad, she figured. Paolo was very attractive. She didn't know his personality, though.

Suddenly, an image of Scott flew through her brain. Just like that, she decided a date /could/ be the worst thing ever. She didn't want to get screwed over again.

She ran to go tell Dario to call off telling Paolo, but realized it was too late. As she approached the closed door, it opened, revealing Paolo.

He smiled at her. "Hey."

"Hi." Her eyes moved straight to the floor, and she felt herself blushing. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought.

"So... my brother said he wants you to, uh... tour me around the town." Paolo blushed, messing up his English.

"Oh, show you around? Yeah, I can do that," Molly said, nodding like crazy. "When... do you want to do that?"

"Anytime is fine," Paolo said.

"Okay..." Molly looked around. "Well, do you want to go now?"

"Um..." Paolo looked at a clock. "Yes." He smiled, and Molly couldn't help but smile back.

"Dar! We're going!" Paolo called to his brother.

"Already?" Dario asked. "Well, okay. Bye! Have fun!"

Molly grabbed her coat and rushed out the door, along with Paolo. They got in her car and started driving.

"So, Dar tells me that you've been... sad recently," Paolo said.

Molly nodded slowly. "Yeah. I got dumped. Kind of. I mean, we went out, and did some... stuff, and then he just kind of ignored me." She felt awkward telling him this, but hey, he asked.

"Ah. That's not good," Paolo commented. "I hate people who do that."

"Yeah." Molly looked straight ahead, not sure of what to say. "So, I hear you're a musician?"

"Ahh, yeah," Paolo said. "I played guitar since I was eleven years old. And singing too."

Molly smiled. "That must be nice, to do something you like."

"Yeah, I like it very much," Paolo said, smiling back. "Hey, why don't we get out here? It looks like where we could walk around."

"Okay." Molly parked and they got out of the car, walking downtown. "It's nice out."

"Yes." Paolo nodded as he went toward a park bench and sat down. "Sit here."

Molly followed him and sat.

"I'm sorry for saying the truth about my brother and your mom. I didn't mean to. That's been bothering me since yesterday," Paolo said.

"No, no, it's fine. I'm glad I know. Kind of." Molly weakly smiled. "So, did you bring your guitar with you here?"

"Oh, yeah. That is the whole reason why I came to America. I actually have a show booked at a little place around here next weekend," Paolo said.

"Wow." Molly was shocked. "You must be really good."

Paolo shrugged. "I guess you'll have to hear me."

"Tonight, you'll show me. Okay?" she asked, smiling.

"Okay," Paolo agreed.

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The two of them walked around, talking about their pasts and problems, for a long period of time.

Finally, Molly said, "Do you want to stop at a restaurant around here or something?"

"Sounds good," Paolo said.

So they went to a nearby restaurant, which was fairly nice but not upscale.

"So this guy," Paolo said, "This Scott guy. He's an idiot, no?"

Molly smiled a little and shrugged. "I don't know."

"I think he is. Whoever would want to hurt a woman like you is crazy." He grinned at her.

Molly blushed. "Thanks. So, um... how old are you?" She blushed again.

"Twenty-three. You?" he asked.

"Twenty-one." She nodded. "What's it like living in Italy?"

"No diference compared to America," he said. "Only it's more rural where I live... like by the countryside. More people speak Italian, and... that's it."

"Really? So do you live by any big cities? Like... Rome?" Molly asked.

Paolo laughed. "No, no. The biggest city I live by is probably Avigliano. You've... probably never heard of it."

"Why is that so funny?" Molly asked.

"That's like me asking you if you live by Los Angeles," Paolo explained.

"So... where /do/ you live?" Molly asked, wondering if she would know it.

"It's a little village, Badia." Paolo nodded. "I'm moving, though. There's no places for work there, where I am able to perform. Now, going to different... uh, performances won't be so hard."

"Oh." Molly nodded. Italy seemed so much more glamorous than where she lived. "So, have you been to any of the big cities?"

"Of course." Paolo nodded. "One time I even had a... performance in Turin once. It was very big for me."

"...where?" Molly asked, smiling a little bit.

"Turin... it's a big city," Paolo said, looking confused. "Well, okay. But yes, I've been to Rome, and Milan."

"Oh, okay." Molly nodded. She knew those cities.

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After eating, the two of them left the restaurant and started to walk through the downtown area, back to her car. The May air was unusually hot, and the city's annual fair was going on for all of the younger kids.

As they walked back, fireworks started going off, with the sound of music and cheering ringing through the sky.

"What is all this for?" Paolo asked, gesturing toward the sky.

"It's just a fair. It happens every year," Molly explained.

"Ah," Paolo said, leaning against a gate and looking up.

"I bet you don't see these much, huh?" Molly asked.

"No, I do. We always have fireworks at our celebrations in Italy. Well, maybe not in my town, but in the big ones, yes." Paolo nodded, still looking at the sky.

"Oh." Molly felt dumb and looked down.

"Molly, look up," Paolo said.

Assuming he meant to look at the fireworks, she looked up at the sky.

"No," Paolo said, putting his hands around her face and leveling it to where he wanted it at, which was at eye level with him.

She stared at him, unsure of what he wanted, until he leaned in and kissed her.

It was quite possibly the best kiss of her life. She instantly forgot about Scott for the three seconds that the kiss lasted for.

They pulled away quickly, and Molly felt like she was in a trance. Her gaze was still focused on Paolo.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't wait any longer," Paolo said.

Molly gave a tiny smile. "It's okay. It was nice."

Paolo smiled and nodded. "It was. Are you ready to go?"

"Um... yeah." Molly started walking towards the car again. Paolo ran to catch up with her, as he kept watching the end of the fireworks.

They got in the car and drove home.

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A/N: Another thing... I'm not screwing up when I write things that Paolo says. He just... doesn't know English as well. In my mind. Lol. Please review! You see that blue button down there... 


	9. The Ninth Mistake

Two days after Molly blew up at me, I decide to stop by her place, hoping that she's less mad.

"Moll?" I ask, opening the door.

I look, and she's sitting at the table, eating some cereal at the table.

"Hi." She gestures for me to sit down.

"Uh... what's up?" I ask, trying to see how she feels.

"Nothin'." She shrugs.

"So, uh," I say, "Where is Dario's brother? Is he here? Because I'd like to talk to him." He /is/ the one who told on me, after all.

"Paolo?" Molly smiles. "He went out to get coffee." Her dreamy expression is now replaced with a confused one. "Why do you want to talk to him?"

I shrug. "I just... wanted to find out why he... told on me."

Molly rolls her eyes. "It was an accident. He's a really sweet guy, and he wouldn't do it on purpose."

"Whoa. Do you like him or something?" I ask her, surprised at how she's talking about him.

"Yes. I went on a date with him last night," she says, trying to hide her smile.

"Oh! Wow," I comment. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wanted to get to him before you could," she snaps.

I sigh. "Molly, you know I've explained-"

She cuts me off. "I know. I'm kidding." The tone of her voice tells me otherwise.

"So, how did it go?" I ask. "The date, I mean."

I'm cut off by the door opening, and a cute, young guy comes in with two cups of coffee in his hands. He gives one to Molly and kisses her on the cheek.

Then he notices me and gives me a somewhat confused look.

"It was good. And thanks, Paolo," Molly says to him. "This is my... mother, Jackie."

"Nice to meet you, Jackie," Paolo says. He has a strong Italian accent, and seems polite. "You're Molly's mother? You could be her sister."

I smile. "Thank you." I glance over at Molly and she's tapping her nails against the table, looking irritated.

"So," I say, "I was, um... just leaving. I'll see you later, Molly, Paolo." I nod toward both of them. "Bye."

I leave, knowing that Molly didn't want me there.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

**MOLLY'S POV**

I'm so relieved after my mom leaves. I can't help but be pissed at her still. I mean, Dario is fourteen years younger than her! It's terrible...

Paolo turns to face me at the table. "Why'd she leave so soon?"

"She... had work," I say distractedly. "So, thanks for the coffee." I smile shyly at him.

"No problem, baby." He smiles back.

"So... are you ever play guitar for me?" I ask him.

He smiles, looking down as he does so. "Saturday, I have a performance. You'll come to that, okay?"

"Fine." I smile again. I feel like a little girl. I can't stop smiling.

He, also keeps smiling as he looks at me.

"What?" I ask, seeing him watching me.

"What is your full name?" he asks me.

Hmm, what a weird question...

"Um, Molly Emma Girard," I say, but it sounds more like a question.

"Molly Emma Girard, you're beautiful," Paolo says to me, smile still on his face.

My heart melts. I blush and smile. I want to kiss him, but I'm unsure if I should, because we've only kissed once.

I try leaning in a little bit, feeling like an idiot, but he gets the hint. He cups my chin and kisses me, soft on the lips. This one is a little longer than our first kiss.

Once we pull apart, we smile at each other again. It's the sweetest thing I've ever had with somebody. And it's only been a day.

"So..." I say awkwardly, shrugging.

"Want to go on the porch?" Paolo asks.

"Sure," I say.

We go on the porch of the apartment, up high and looking over the crappy city. Sitting down in one of the two chairs, Paolo lights a cigarette and leans back.

"Want one?" he asks.

"No, no thanks," I say. "I-I don't smoke."

"Ah." Paolo nods. "Wish I didn't."

I sit there awkwardly as Paolo smokes, looking over the city.

For a few minutes, we sit in silence, until I hear the door slide open, making me jump.

"What're you two doing out here?" Dario asks, walking out and sitting on one of the plastic chairs. "Not exactly a romantic setting, huh?"

I smile and shake my head. "Not exactly."

Dario smiles back at me. "I caught your mother leaving as I was on my way in."

I feel surprise surge through me. "And?" I raise my eyebrows.

Dario looks confused. "...I said hello?"

"Okay." I relax and lean into my chair.

"Don't tell me you're still mad at her for that," Dario says, but it sounds like a question.

"I... it's not that. It's just... the way she is. She doesn't understand." I shake my head.

Dario does the same, only at me. "I think you need to put in consideration what your mom is going through. I mean, a divorce, and-"

I cut him off. "Why are you supporting her? I didn't even think you knew anything about her. I thought it was just, like, random hookup day or something."

Paolo is watching us both in surprise, still holding his cigarette.

"It wasn't," Dario says defensively. "We talked, beforehand."

"So, are you saying you want a relationship with her now?" I ask, my voice raising.

"No, that's just irrational. But why do you care anyway?" Dario asks.

"I don't." I stand up and cross my arms. "I just... don't like the thought of my roommate being with my mom. And the age difference makes it a little more uncomfortable, too."

"Well, you have nothing to worry about," Dario says. "Honestly, I've practically forgotten about that night. I'm sure she has, too."

"Good." I walk inside quickly, indicating that the conversation has ended.

My phone is ringing on the counter, so I pick it up. Noticing that the caller I.D. says 'Mom', I roll my eyes, but pick it up anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Moll," my mom says. "You doing anything tomorrow night?"

I play with my hair. "Umm, maybe. Why?" Hopefully Paolo will ask me out on a date or something.

"Because my old friends and I are getting together, and bringing out kids along, too. I wanted to schedule it around you. I have no clue what you're doing these days," she says.

Damn. I can't get out of this. "Uh, well... yeah, I think tomorrow's good. But how come I have to go? It's gonna be boring."

"Invite Dario and Paolo," she tells me. "They're almost family, and then you'll be entertained."

So will you, I think. "Alright. I'll ask them."

"Okay." My mom pauses. "Are you gonna ask them now?"

"Well, they aren't around," I lie. As soon as I say that, though, Dario yells something to Paolo, and my mother can clearly hear it.

"That... sounded like a guy's voice," she says.

"Yeah, I'm outside." I look around and shush Dario and Paolo. "It's one of the neighbors."

"Alright." She pauses. "Well, I guess I'll talk to you later, then?"

"Yup. Bye."

"Bye."

I hang up the phone and then walk up to Paolo and Dario.

"What was that all about?" Dario asks.

"Just my mom," I explain. "She's having some... party. And wants you guys to go."

"When is it?" Paolo asks.

"Friday. Uh, tomorrow," I say.

"Okay, I can make it," Dario says.

"So can I," Paolo says.

I whip out my phone and redial my mom's number.

"Yup, they said they can go," I say when she picks up.

"Oh, good. Well, it's at my friend Donna's house... like five minutes from your place, actually. I'll meet you guys at your place tomorrow so you can know where to go. Be ready by five thirty!" My mom sounds excited.

"Fine," I say. "Bye." I shut my phone.

"So...?" Paolo and Dario are giving me strange looks.

"She said to be ready at five thirty tomorrow," I tell them, and they nod.

Great. I don't know what to wear now.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

JACKIE'S POV:

Work passes by, and before I know it, it's the next day.

Molly didn't sound too thrilled about going to Donna's tonight, but I don't care. It's my night, and I'll enjoy it.

Spencer is excited to leave the house with me. Asher keeps insisting that I let him stay.

This is so cool. It's like, we're all going to be a family again.

I get home from work on Friday to see Paul in the living room. Normally, we ignore each other. But today, he looks me in the eye.

"You taking the kids out tonight?" he asks.

"Yeah. I have a party thing," I explain.

"You drinking? Because I don't want you drunk around my kids," Paul says gruffly.

"No, I'm not. And why do you express concern, you hypocrite?" I give him a disgusted look.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Paul says.

"The Christmas party two years ago," I remind him. "You know what, never mind. I'm going to get ready."

"Just keep walking," Paul says.

I take about forty-five minutes to get ready. Then I go in the kids' rooms and get them.

"Mom, do I really have to go?" Asher asks. "I don't know anybody. I just wanna stay here. With Dad."

I shoot him a glare. "With your father? You spend almost every day with him. You don't spend any time with me."

"Yeah, but you're gonna be at a stupid party!" Asher says. "You'll be talking to people."

"Ash, /please/. I want to show you guys off. These are friends I have barely talked to since I was a teenager. I said I would bring my kids. Plus, they have kids of their own," I explain.

He rolls his eyes. "Whatever."

"Okay, now, come on. We've gotta go." I go to Spencer's room to get her, then we leave for Molly's.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

After going to Molly's and getting her, Paolo, and Dario to follow us, we arrive at Donna's.

Steven isn't there yet, because I don't see his car. However, there is a different car in the driveway that I don't recognize.

I open the door, and Donna rushes up quickly.

"I am so sorry. I had no idea she was coming," she explains, pointing behind her.

I see Laurie sitting on the couch behind her.

"Is that...?" I ask.

Donna nods. "Okay, but just... let everybody in. I wanna see your kids." She turns to the stairs. "Eric! Jackie's here!"

I walk in. "Uh, this is my son Asher. He's thirteen," I tell her as he walks in. Spencer emerges behind him. "This is Spencer. She's eleven."

"Hi, I'm Donna," she says to them. "Wow, it's so weird to finally meet you."

"Hi," Spencer says, smiling shyly.

"Hey." Asher nods.

I smile and roll my eyes at them.

"And this must be Molly?" Donna says, seeing more people walk in. "Oh my God, Jackie, she looks exactly like you."

"We get that a lot," I say, grinning at my oldest daughter. She gives a weak smile, then turns back to Paolo and Dario.

"And, this is her roommate Dario," I say, introducing them. "And his brother Paolo."

Donna shakes hands with them as Eric comes downstairs, and we do the introducing thing all over again.

Molly is standing really close to Paolo, almost hiding behind him.

"What's wrong," I hear him mumble to her.

"Nothing," she whispers.

Donna gives me a look. "Do they have a thing?" she mouths, so I nod.

I hear a car pull up.

"Hyde's here," Eric says, opening up the door once again.

A teenage boy walks in. He has wavy, dark hair and is pretty handsome for his age. I know right away that it's Steven's son, because you can tell by the eyes.

"You must be..." Eric trails off, looking at Steven's son.

"Gage." He nods.

"Hyde's son," Eric says, clarifying it.

Gage nods as his father walks in. "Hey."

"Hyde!" Donna hugs him, and so does Eric.

"Alright, alright, Forman," Steven says, laughing a little while pulling away.

Jenny comes down the stairs and frowns when she sees everyone. "Mom, I thought it was just Aunt Laurie and the kids coming?"

"No, Jen. We're having, like a... a little party," Donna explains.

I turn to face her. "The kids?"

"Laurie's kids," Donna explains. "Reg, Liz, come here!"

Two teenage kids come out of the kitchen. Both of them are tall and blonde, but the boy looks older.

"Reggie, Lizzie, this is my friend Jackie. She knew us all when we were your age," she tells them. Then she turns to me. "Reggie is seventeen; Lizzie just turned thirteen."

I nod. "Nice to meet you." I turn to Donna. "Where's Laur-"

I'm cut off by Laurie walking in. "Jackie?" she asks.

"Hi, Laurie," I say politely. I notice Spencer standing behind me. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

She shrugs.

I put my arm around her and turn back to Laurie. "So, your kids seem nice."

"Oh, you met them? Yeah, they're good. Sometimes," she adds.

"And I'm guessing you got married?" I ask her.

She smiles blissfully. "Yes, I did. His name is... oh, here he is now!"

I notice a familiar looking man walking up to us and putting his hand on Laurie's waist. She grins at him.

"You look... very familiar," I say to him as he approaches.

"Well, I should," he says. "You dated my brother all of those years."

I gasp. "Casey Kelso?"

The couple smiles again as Casey nods. "Yeah, a long time ago, I came back to town; tried to hook up with Donna. She had been with Eric for a while then, and... well, Laurie opened the door for me. We just kind of... happened."

"Well, I guess it makes sense," I say. "Neither of you wanted to end up with anybody."

"Yeah, I guess so." Laurie smiles as she notices Spencer. "Who's this?"

"This is my daughter, Spencer. She's eleven." I gesture from Spencer to Laurie.

"Hi," Spencer says to Laurie.

Laurie smiles back to her.

"And my son Asher is over there." I look over and see him sitting on the couch with a Gameboy. "Ash!" I call him over. He rolls his eyes but comes anyway.

"Meet Laurie," I tell him. "Laurie, Casey, this is Asher. He's thirteen."

"Hey," Asher says, uninterested.

"Oh, thirteen? You're the same age as my daughter. She's right over there." Laurie points to where she's standing, talking to Jenny. "Lizzie!"

Lizzie walks over, noticing her mother. Casey nudges Laurie in the arm. I don't think he wants her to introduce their daughter to Asher.

It's almost sweet to see Casey and Laurie together. I mean, who would have thought? And with kids, too!

"Lizzie, this is Asher," Laurie says. "Why don't you guys talk?" She grins at me and winks. "I think we could set them up," she mouths.

Casey nudges Laurie again.

"Oh, will you quit it?" she snaps at him. Then, she faces me again. "So, you have two kids and I have two kids. Where's your husband?"

"Um..." I trail off. "I actually have three kids. Molly is over there." I point to where she's sitting, next to Paolo and Dario.

"You have a daughter that old?" Laurie asks in disbelief.

"Yeah... with a different guy," I explain.

"So you've been married twice," Laurie concludes.

"And divorced," I admit. "Well, not yet, technically. But I will be."

Laurie looks shocked. "Wow, of all people," she says quietly.

"Yeah," I say.

After talking to Laurie for a while, (and confessing to my affair with Dario... she approved, needless to say) I go by Steven. I notice that Eric just walked away from him to tell Jenny something.

"Hi," I say, sitting next to him.

"Hey." He smiles at me.

I see his son sitting by him. "So this must be Gage?"

"Yeah," Steven says as Gage turns to look at me.

"Who's this?" he asks Steven.

"This is Jackie. My ex-girlfriend from high school," Steven says, grinning slightly at me.

"Nice to meet you, Gage." I smile at him.

He's about to say something when a ringing is heard.

Steven puts his hand in his pocket and pulls out a phone, answering. "Yeah? ...who the hell cares, it's my weekend... yeah, well you should have thought about that before you planned the whole thing out... you really think he wants to be there for a damn birthday party? ...really, do you think I care? ...whatever."

He hangs up. "Sorry about that." He turns to Gage. Before he can say anything, Gage talks.

"Was that Mom?" he asks.

Steven nods and rolls his eyes. "Yeah."

"What did she say?" Gage asks.

"She was bitching at me about how you should be home this weekend because it's Ian's birthday party, and she wants you there." Steven rolls his eyes again.

"Oh." Gage frowns. "Am I gonna have to go?"

"Nah, if she calls again, I'll ignore it," Steven says, putting his phone back in his pocket.

I frown, noticing this. Steven is being kind of rude. I wonder if Gage cares that Steven talks badly about Gage's mother.

"So, um," I say, to break the tension, "did you see my kids?"

"I can tell which ones are yours," Steven says. "The girls look just like you."

I smile at this. "Thank you."

"Yup." Steven nods.

I see his communication skills haven't changed a bit.

"Can you imagine," Steven says, leaning back. "what it would have been like if you never split? If Sam never came in the picture, if I never caught you and Kelso together?"

"Well, that doesn't matter. It was so long ago." I pause. "Plus, you weren't going to propose, anyway."

He smiles slyly at me. "Yeah, I was. Until I caught you and Kelso."

"Really?" Even though it was forever ago, the thought makes me smile.

"You two were gonna get married?" Gage asks, listening in on our conversation.

"Yeah, but... things got in the way," Steven says. "I mean, it obviously wasn't meant to happy. I like the way things turned out."

I shrug. "Yeah, I guess so. My life isn't anything like I thought it would be... at all. But I'm glad I have my kids, and my friends."

Steven nods and looks over at Gage. "Yep. My only regret is being with his mom. But I can't hate too much, or else he wouldn't be here."

I look at Gage, who looks emotionless. I feel bad for the kid... 


	10. The Tenth Mistake

bA/N: Pleeeease keep reviewing more, guys! It means a lot, and shows that I have readers. Kind of like a TV show or something... if there's no viewers, the show gets cancelled... Anyway, I decided to post up here what I think my OCs look like, to give those reading (...if any?) an idea. So...

Molly: Rachel Bilson. Dario: Chace Crawford.  
Paolo, I figured I had given him a decent description. I don't know any celebrities that have the look that I have come up with.  
Same for Gage, Hyde's son, and Asher, Jackie's son.  
Spencer (Jackie's other daughter): young Selena Gomez.  
Reggie (Laurie and Casey's son): slightly like a younger Chris Egan, but not completely.  
Lizzie (Laurie and Casey's daughter): younger Busy Phillips.  
Jenny (Donna and Eric's daughter): Ashlee Simpson (like her hair is now; reddish).  
Lily (introducing her in this chapter): Blake Lively./b

**MOLLY'S POV**

After getting home from that party, I have to admit, there was no point of me going.

Paolo, Dario, and I basically just sat around awkwardly while my mom caught up with her old friends. It was pretty strange. I met a lot of people that my mom used to be friends with, though, and their kids.

Now that we're back, though... I'm kind of glad we left.

Dario is sitting in the living room watching TV or whatever, so Paolo and I go in my room. We're making out on the bed.

Kissing Paolo is probably the nicest thing ever. I just feel... good. I can't think of anything else but him, and it's like, amazing.

We're still making out when there's a knock on the door. Not the bedroom door, but the front door.

I quickly get up and open the bedroom door to see the front door is already open. Dario is standing there, hugging a beautiful woman.

Silently, I back into my room as slow as I can.

"Uh, Paolo?" I ask.

"What is it?" he asks.

"Come over here quietly and tell me if you know who this is." I wave him over, and he does so.

Peeking through the door, he squints, and a look of shock comes over his face.

"That's his old girlfriend, Lily," Paolo whispers to me. "I don't know how the hell she could have possibly gotten here?"

"What, does transportation mean nothing anymore?" I ask, slightly joking.

"No, it's just... she's from back home. He hasn't seen her in almost a year. And last I'd heard, she was in jail," Paolo says.

"What?" I ask a little too loudly.

Dario and Lily hear us and quickly turn their heads.

"Not nice to spy," Dario says, giving a teasing smile in our direction.

"We weren't," I explain, flustered. "We were just-"

"I don't need to hear the story," Dario says, smiling as he waves me off. "Just give me a minute, okay?"

I nod and turn back to Paolo as Dario and Lily walk deeper into the living room.

"So... why was she in jail?" I whisper to Paolo.

"She was part of a huge, group fight thing," Paolo whispers back. "I don't know. But I recall she had a gun on her."

"Wow..." I trail off slowly. I'm right to be worried, right?

"I know. Now you understand my shock," Paolo says.

I nod slowly, peeking out the door again, but I can't see anything but the door.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Two hours later, Paolo has fallen asleep on my bed. I don't want to wake him up, so I sneak out of the room to see Dario in the kitchen. No Lily in sight.

He notices me and gives a small smile. "Hey," he says in a quieter voice.

"Hi." I sit on the counter and lean against the cabinets. "So... what happened to... that girl?" I ask. I don't want to say her name or anything or else he will know that Paolo and I were talking about her.

"First, where's Paolo?" Dario asks.

"He fell asleep," I explain.

Dario raises his eyebrows at me, and I shake my head at him. "We weren't doing anything," I tell him again. "Anyway, who is she?"

"She," he says, taking a deep breath, "is Lily. My ex-girlfriend. And, she is asleep in my room, so I'd appreciate it if we could talk about her a little bit quieter."

"Oh!" I say, then cover my mouth. "Okay. Sorry. So, what's her story?"

"She's from Italy," Dario explains. "She just got out of jail. I'm sure Paolo told you all about it." He gives me a knowing look, and I just laugh and nod.

"She was only in for a few months. And don't worry, she's not a criminal. It was all a misunderstanding," he tells me.

"So... why did you guys break up?" I ask him.

"Well..." Dario shrugs. "We went through a rough patch. She... didn't get along with my parents well. Kind of a wild girl. And then, I moved."

"Oh." I nod. "So... why is she here?" I ask, hoping I don't sound rude.

Dario sighs. "She... had a few things to tell me. Important things. But, uh, I'll say more in the morning. I really need to sleep."

"Alright..." I can tell that something's off, but I'll forget about it until the morning.

"'Night, Moll," he says, walking to his room.

"Night," I say back, going to my room and getting into bed.

Paolo wakes up as I'm lifting up the covers.

"Oh," he says, standing up. "I'm sorry. I didn't even realize I fell-"

"It's fine," I say before he can finish, smiling.

"Alright. Well, I'll go now then. To bed." He nods toward the door.

"Uh, actually," I say, "Dario and Lily fell asleep in his room. So if you want, you can sleep in here, with me. I mean, not like /that/, but-"

He smiles at me. "I know. Thank you." He walks toward my bed and gets in.

"Night, Paolo," I say as I shut out the light.

"Good night, Molly," he says back to me.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

**NORMAL POV**

Paolo awoke in Molly's bed around seven thirty in the morning. Molly was still fast asleep, so he tried to be as quiet as possible.

Walking into the kitchen, he saw his brother sitting on the couch, his head in his hands.

"What's up, Dar?" he asked quietly, but loud enough to scare his brother.

Dario jumped, then realized it was just his brother. "Oh, man, I need to talk to you."

"Yeah?" Paolo sat down. "Does this have to do with your ex-girlfriend randomly showing up yesterday?"

Dario swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah, definitely."

"So, what's up?" Paolo asked.

"Well," Dario said slowly. "You know how Lily and I went out a while back?"

Paolo nodded. "Obviously."

"Well, she came here today telling me that after she went to jail, she found out that she... was pregnant. And I was in America by then." Dario stared into space while waiting for his brother's reaction.

"Wait, you mean, with your child?" Paolo asked.

Dario nodded. "That's what she's tellin' me. And she says that when she got out, she didn't know what to do. And she had the baby, and was trying to find me. She didn't want to talk to Mamma and Papa, because they didn't like her anyway. She got a hold of Manny (A/N: their sister. I mentioned her before; real name is Emmanuelle) and she gave her the information as to where I am. And now... she's here."

"Wait." Paolo paused. "So where's the baby?"

"With Lily's parents." Dario shook his head. "I can't believe all this. I mean, I've lived my life the way I always have, every day. And then I find out last night that I'm a father? No way."

Paolo nodded. "I may be an uncle. That's crazy."

"Rosanna Isabella," Dario said. "That's her name."

Paolo raised his eyebrows. "Wow. So this is real."

Dario nodded. "I don't know what to do," he concluded as he leaned back on the couch.

"Well, you've got to go home," Paolo said. "Mamma and Papa need to know. Soon. Unless Manny told them first."

"I would have gotten a call if she did that," Dario said. "Going home does sound nice, at least for a little bit. And I need to see the baby."

Paolo nodded in agreement. "Yes. But when do you plan on doing that?"

Dario shrugged. "I'll figure it out when I talk to Lily more, later."

"Yeah." Paolo sighed. "Wow. I can't believe this is happening. I guess I should probably go home with you."

Dario nodded. "Guess so."

"My show is tonight, so I can leave after that," Paolo added.

"Alright," Dario said.

Just then, Molly's door opened, and she emerged from the room.

"You can leave for where?" she asked, yawning.

"For... the store," Paolo said. "We need... uh... milk."

"No, we don't. I got some yesterday," Molly said, giving a suspicious look.

"Okay, we'll just tell you," Dario said, sitting down.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

After telling Molly the entire story, she was in disbelief.

"So you guys are like, leaving?" she asked, shocked.

The brothers nodded.

"For good?" she asked again.

Dario shrugged. "I don't know right now. It really depends, but..." He noticed Lily open the door.

"Why is everyone-" She stopped, noticing the looks she received. "I'm guessing you told them, Dario."

"Told them what?" he asked.

"The thing about Rosanna?" She raised an eyebrow.

Dario nodded. "Yeah. I had to." He took a deep breath. "I need to go home for a while. Maybe for good. I don't know. Paolo'll come, too, and then... I don't know."

"Alright." Lily nodded. "That works." She noticed Molly's expression of pure disappointment. "Um, Dar, I'll be back in a minute." She touched Molly's shoulder. "Will you come talk to me for a second?"

Molly nodded, confused, and followed Lily near the door.

"I never caught your name," Lily said, once they were out of earshot of the boys.

"I'm, um, Molly," Molly said.

"Lily." Lily offered her hand, gently, and Molly slowly shook it.

"Are you sad?" Lily asked.

After a moment of silence, Molly looked down and shrugged. "Yeah," she finally admitted.

"Listen," Lily said gently, "I didn't come here to ruin this for you; for anybody. I'm sorry. I just... I had to get it out there."

"I know. I understand," Molly said, nodding.

"Okay, good." Lily smiled. "How long have you and Paolo been... seeing each other?"

"About a week," Molly admitted.

"Oh!" Lily said. "I thought it was longer."

"No, he hasn't been here long," Molly said.

"Oh, alright. Well... I'm sorry I had to end it so soon." She gave a little frown and then turned around to walk back to the boys.

**JACKIE'S POV**

Work is boring. I hate it when I'm trying to start a conversation with a customer, but they don't seem interested. It's so... boring.

However, once I'm finished with Sally Anderson from down the street, I get a break. At least, until I notice Molly burst through the door.

"Moll?" I run to the front door, noticing she looks upset.

"Mom," Molly said as she approaches me. Her eyes are wide and she looks worried.

"What's wrong, honey?" I ask as we go into the back room and sit down.

"Mom, Paolo and Dario have to go home, like in the next couple of days," she says, her eyes looking glassy, "And they might stay for good."

I give her a confused look. "/Why/?"

"Because... Dario has a kid back in Italy, and just found out. Now he has to go home, and... Paolo can't stay if his brother isn't here." I can see the tears threatening to escape from her eyes.

"Oh, honey." I give her a hug, and I feel her start crying.

"Why can't anything good /stay/?" she asks as she wipes her eyes and pulls away from me.

I sigh. "Honey, I know, you're sad, and-"

"No, I mean." She pauses. "It's been a week, but I'm crazy about Paolo. And Dario and I have become like family, almost. And... I don't want to find another roommate. I just wish this never happened." She puts her head in her hands. "I don't know. I just don't know what to do."

"Listen," I tell her as she puts her head back up, "These are two common decisions, or pieces of advice, or whatever," I say. "You can either admit that if it's meant to be, it will last... or, you can do something about it. Don't go with destiny, /make/ your destiny. If you feel it's right, don't let it go away," I tell her, squeezing her shoulder.

Molly nods. "I like that second option."

"Yeah, me too," I say.

"But," Molly says, "I can't just go to Italy. Not alone."

"But you'll have Paolo," I point out. "And Dario."

"They have family there! I can't just... intrude!" Molly insists. "Ugh, I can't do it."

"You know what," I tell her. "I'll go with you. I need a break from Paul; I can't stand him."

"Really?" Molly looks at me hopefully.

"Of course." I nod.

"Well... you have to tell them we're going, because I don't want to seem like an... intruder!" Molly says.

I laugh. "Fine, deal. I'll tell them."

"Can we go now, then?" Molly asks, trying to pull me toward the door like a little kid.

"No, I have to work," I tell her.

Molly sighs. "Alright. Stop by at my place after work." Molly leaves.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

So, after work, I go straight to Molly's. She opens the door for me, quickly, and has a panicky look on her face.

"What's wrong?" I ask as I walk in.

"Nothing." Her eyes avert to Dario and a blonde girl, sitting on the couch together, then back to me.

"Oh." I nod, noticing. "Is that her?" I whisper.

"Well, duh," Molly says quietly.

"Jackie, hey," Dario says as he notices me walking in.

"Hi," I say.

"This is Lily," he tells me, gesturing to the blonde girl.

"Hi, nice to meet you," I say to her.

She smiles back at me, nodding her head.

"Um, Dario, where's Paolo at?" Molly asks.

"Back porch," Dario says, pointing behind him.

"Alright." She opens the sliding door and calls Paolo in.

He walks in with an ashtray in his hand, putting out a cigarette. I didn't know he smoked.

"Paolo." Molly grabs his hand, pulling him towards her. "Dario. My mom has to tell you guys something."

Wow, way to be blunt.

"Um, okay," I say, giving Molly a weird look. "So, she told me about how you guys have to go back to Italy. And she was upset." I notice Molly shooting me an angry look. "But, uh, so was I. And we decided, that we might visit you in Italy when you go."

"Ah, that would be wonderful!" Paolo says, putting an arm around Molly. She smiles back.

"Yeah, that's great," Dario agrees. "Our parents would love to meet you two. You've become like another family."

I smile at him, but we both avoid extended eye contact because I think we both are thinking of that one night.

"So it's settled," Paolo says. "You both will be coming to Italy." He grins at both of us.  



	11. The Eleventh Mistake

I wake up in the morning, and realize that it's almost 10:30. I slept in. It was nice to, though, because I have the day off.

I walk past Asher's bedroom and crack the door open a little bit to peek in. He's still asleep.

He's my only son, and I hardly even talk to him, because he just doesn't seem interested. Smiling, I walk in quietly and sit by his bed, stroking his hair.

Asher stirs, sits up, and yawns. "Mom, what are you doing in here?"

"I just walked past your room and thought I'd see if you were up," I say.

Asher just shrugs. "Are you working today?"

"No. I woke up late, too," I tell him.

"Oh." Asher looks down. "Is Dad home?"

"No, I think he's working," I say. Then, I think back to a few nights ago. "So, did you ever end up hitting it off with Laurie's daughter Lizzie? I forgot to ask."

Asher shook his head. "Nah. I have a girlfriend and she has a boyfriend. We're cool, though."

"You're 'cool'? What's that mean?" I ask.

"We're friends. We get along," he explains as he gets out of bed. "I'll be downstairs in a minute. Are you gonna make breakfast?"

"I guess I can," I tell him. "I'm gonna go see if Spence is up."

"Okay," Asher says as I shut the door.

I go to Spencer's room and she's not in it.

"Spence!" I call.

"I'm downstairs!" she yells back.

I go downstairs and take the pans out, noticing Spencer at the table.

"I'm making breakfast," I tell her. "Eggs. So, you know the drill."

Spencer rolls her eyes at me and get up, taking the carton of eggs out of the refridgerator, and cracking them, putting them in a bowl. "I can't believe you don't touch eggs. That's so weird."

"What can I say." I shrug. "It's gross."

Asher comes downstairs in a clean shirt and jeans. "This summer sucks," he says as he takes a seat at the table.

"And why do you say that?" I ask as pour the eggs in the pan.

"Because there's nothing to do. Can we go on a vacation this summer or something?" he asks.

"Yeah," Spencer agrees. "There really is nothing to do."

I sigh, thinking of the Italy trip. Not sure exactly how to tell them I'm going.

I'd need consent from Paul in order for them to go. And I know there's no way in hell he'd do anything to make /me/ happy.

"I'll think of something, 'kay?" I say to them.

"Alright." Spencer frowns. "How come you've been with Molly so much lately? You never used to see her... now you're at her place all the time."

"Yeah, she's right," Asher says. "You are /always/ there."

Is this really bothering them? Wow... I feel bad.

"I never really thought I was there that much, I guess," I comment.

"Yeah. We've had to be with Dad a lot," Spencer says.

"That's not my decision, honey," I say. "He gets mad when I take you guys places."

"But you're our mom," Asher says.

"But he's your dad," I remind him. "He thinks he has more control than I do."

Spencer frowns again. "I wish you guys weren't getting a divorce."

I feel so bad. She looks sad, but I'm not sure what to say. "Honey, sometimes, things... just don't work out. You deserve the best, and when you aren't happy, it's not right. So you do something about it."

Spencer just shrugs, along with Asher.

"You know I love you two no matter what," I say to them as I set three plates down. As I say this, I realize that Paul shouldn't be a factor in this. I shouldn't be afraid, and I should invite them to go to Italy.

"And... I think we all should go to Italy this summer," I say after taking a breath.

I see Asher and Spencer both get a shocked look on their faces. "What?"

"See, Molly really wanted to go to Italy because her boyfriend has to go home... there. And she wanted me to go. And if I go, you guys have to go, too," I tell them.

"Oh my God, that'd be so cool!" Spencer says excitedly.

"Yeah, that'd be pretty awesome," Asher admits.

I smile at them, sitting down with our food and placing it in front of them. "Yeah. It would."

It's nice, the three of us sitting down as a family. And I'm really hoping that we all can go to Italy, too.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Steven and I make plans to get together today, so I go to his house.

Gage opens the door for me, and I smile at him, surprised to see him. I assumed he would be at his mom's.

"Dad!" Gage calls, and Steven appears.

"Jacks, hey," he greets me.

"Hi." I smile big at him. I take a look around at his place. It's not big. It's not fancy. It's totally Steven.

So Steven and I sit and talk a little bit, until his phone rings. He answers it. The conversation doesn't seem good, because he hangs up, saying "Damn it."

"What's up?" I ask him suspiciously.

"I have to run into work for about a half hour," he says. "I'm so sorry, Jacks. You wanna hang here until I get back?"

"Uh, sure." I nod.

"Yeah, Gage's here, so... just hang with him, I guess. I'll be right back." He leaves, and Gage comes into the living room.

"Hey," I say, waving to him.

"Hi." He nods to me.

"So, you're Steven's son. That's so weird." I laugh at the idea.

Gage nods, smiling. "Yeah, I guess..."

It's quiet for a moment. "So, what's your mom like?" I ask randomly.

"Eh, she's nice, I guess. Pays a lot of attention to Ian... my half brother." He shrugs. "It's whatever, though."

It's whatever? Not trying to sound old, but what the hell do these things mean?

"Oh, alright." I nod. "Does your dad get along with your mom?"

"Hell no," Gage says, giving a fake laugh.

"Doesn't that bother you?" I ask him, raising my eyebrows.

Gage shrugs. "I mean, it'd be nice if they were, like... /civil/. Or at least ignored each other. But I'm not gonna tell them that."

"Why not?" I ask him.

"Because I don't want to... I don't know... like get in a fight about it," Gage says.

"Huh." I lean back. "I thought your dad was being pretty rude the other night when your mom called."

"Yeah, I guess," he agrees. Then he changes the subject. "So how long did you and my dad go out for?"

"A little over two years," I say.

Gage looks surprised. "Wow. For high school? That's long. Especially for my dad."

I laugh, agreeing.

"I mean, that's probably his longest relationship," Gage says again.

I shrug. "He hasn't had anything really serious?"

"Not really," Gage says. "He and my mom were together for less than a year. Before I was even born."

"You haven't had the greatest life, have you?" I ask him, softly.

Gage shrugs. "Can't complain."

I roll my eyes. "You seem just like your father. Keeping things in."

"It's all I've ever known," Gage jokes.

"I bet your father has broken down once or twice," I say, trying to think of Steven being emotional. I can't come up with any memories of him being that way.

Gage shrugs. "I doubt it." Then he smiles at me. "I bet my dad misses you."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You know," Gage says. "Just, since you guys met up, he seems happier already. So, I mean he misses you. Like, /misses/ you."

I blush slightly. "I don't know about that. Steven doesn't seem like he cares."

"Nah, he does," Gage says. "You're not married, are you?"

"Getting divorced," I tell him.

"Yeah, my dad is gonna go after you again, I can tell. He usually hates being in relationships, but he's been hanging with you, and he's been happy," Gage says, shrugging. "He'd kill me if he heard me right now."

"Oh. Wow." I try to hide my smile.

"You, like... feel that way, too, right?" he asks me.

Crap. What do I say? "Um... well, I-"

"Yeah, you do," Gage decides, noticing my flustered attempt to answer his question.

I blush. "Shut up, and don't say anything to your father. Okay?"

"Alright," he says in a singsong voice.

I laugh at him. He's so much like Steven, it's crazy.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Once Steven gets back, we go to Donna and Eric's; Gage tagging along with us.

"Remember all those times we spent in your basement?" Donna smiles as she faces her husband.

"Oh yeah. Remember the time I thought Hyde was busted, so I confessed to Red, and he went crazy on us?" Eric says, turning to Steven.

"Hell yeah. He put bells on the doors, I remember. And he installed a smoke alarm," Steven says, laughing.

Gage laughs. "Wait, busted for what? And... a smoke alarm? You guys weren't...?" He trails off.

I take a deep breath in, laughing. "Yes, we were. Mostly your dad over here." I lightly touch Steven on the arm.

"Hey, I'm the one who got /you/ started, too," Steven says to me, eyebrows raised and smiling.

I laugh. "I am /so/ glad my kids aren't here."

Donna laughs along. "I'm glad Jenny and Adam aren't down here."

"Me too," Eric agrees. Then, ironically, their son Adam shows up, coming down the stairs.

"What?" he asks. "I heard my name."

"Nothing," Donna says, waving him over. "You remember Jackie, Hyde, and Gage from the party, right?"

Adam nods. "Yeah." He turns to us. "Hi."

"Hi," we all say.

"So, what are you guys talking about?" he asks.

Eric laughs. "Back when we were kids."

"Oh. Boring," Adam decides.

"No, actually, not boring at all," Donna says, getting up and running to the bookshelf, picking up what looks like a photo album. "Your grandma put this together years ago." She sets it on the coffee table, opening it so we all can see.

The first pictures were all from Donna and Eric's first date. First, a few pictures of the pair together. Then, quick shots of Eric helping Donna in the car, trying to get out of the spotlight, and trying to get in the driver's seat were set up.

"I remember that," Donna says, laughing. "I got drunk at the restaurant."

Adam gives her a weird look. "How old were you?"

"Sixteen," Donna says. "Don't ever /dream/ of doing that."

Jenny comes downstairs after hearing us laugh. "What's going on?"

"Looking at some old pictures," Eric shouts to her. "Come down!"

Jenny comes down and sees the first few pictures. "Wow, so you lived in this house when you were growing up?"

"Of course," Eric says. "And your mom lived next door."

They flip the page. Pictures of Eric's birthday are sprawled out on the page. He's wearing a paper crown, and looks unhappy. In the background, you can see me yelling at Michael.

"That was a sight you saw quite a bit," Steven says, laughing.

After flipping the page again, pictures from the car show that Red, Kitty, Steven, and I went to.

One picture is of Red with the girls in bikinis. It is visibly wrinkled, like somebody crumpled it up. Probably Kitty.

Another picture is of the four of us with Red's Corvette. The main focal point is the Corvette, though, and I think that's what Red intended.

The last picture from that day is of Steven and I kissing. I don't think I have ever seen this picture. Kitty probably saw us kissing, and decided to take a picture without us noticing.

Donna laughs. "You also saw this sight quite a bit."

Steven looks at me and I just awkwardly laugh. It was years ago, but it's still fresh in my mind.

"Yeah, like remember when you guys caught us making out in the basement?" Steven laughs. "You were so freaked out."

Eric's eyes go wide. "Of course! It was so unnatural! I mean, we thought you two hated each other. And then... we saw /it/."

"Yeah," Donna agrees. "Definitely one of the top ten weirdest moments of my life. Then we just got used to it."

I smile and look at Steven. "Remember when we broke up, and Fez got us back together by telling us how 'forbidden' our relationship was?"

"Yeah. I remember what happened after we got back together, too." He raises his eyebrows as he looks at me. I just laugh, unsure of what to do.

Gage gives us a grossed out look. I'm pretty sure he knows what his father means.

"Allllright, and onto the next page," Eric says, flipping the page.

The next thing we see is a picture of Laurie and Marissa, the baby that she babysat for. Next is a picture of Red and Pastor Dave sitting on the Forman's couch, probably watching a Packers game. They aren't looking at the camera, so I'm guessing it was a candid shot that Kitty wanted to get of Red and his new 'friend'.

"Good old Pastor Dave," Eric says, shaking his head.

"Yep, I remember him," I say. "Remember the Christmas pageant you directed? We tied him up with the Christmas lights."

Everybody laughs. "Yeah, I remember."

A few pictures pass, then we come along one of our prom night. I was only a sophomore, and Michael had just dumped me for Pam Macy, so Steven took me.

There are quite a few pictures of Eric and Donna, smiling next to the Vista Cruiser. Then there's one or two of me and Steven, standing a safe distance apart. I was just happy he took me.

"You know that meant a lot to me, right?" I turn to Steven.

"Really? 'Cause I remember you getting back together with Kelso that night." Steven raises his eyebrows and smiles.

"Still." I shrug. "I mean, I couldn't go to prom without a date."

A half hour later, we're done looking at the pictures.

Adam, Jenny, and Gage are all sitting on the couch, talking a little.

Eric and Donna decide to show Steven and I the basement. Apparently they redid it years ago.

We go downstairs, and Steven and I are shocked.

There's carpeting, and painted walls. It doesn't smell anymore. The plumbing isn't visible. And it's totally not where we used to spend our days watching TV and toking, that's for sure.

"It's so different!" I exclaim. "I mean... wow! It looks nice!"

"Thanks, Jackie." Donna smiles.

"I can't believe this is the basement we basically spent our youth in," Steven comments. "Looks too different. Nice, though."

Donna grins. "I put a lot of hard work into it. Because /somebody/ complained that carrying the furniture was hurting him too much." She gives Eric a look.

I laugh. "I wonder who," I say sarcastically.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

About an hour later, it's time to go.

We say goodbye to Eric, Donna, Jenny, and Adam. Steven and Gage are walking to their car. I'm walking to mine.

Gage gets into the car, but Steven stands outside of his, waiting for me to pass by so he can say goodbye.

"This was fun," I say, smiling as I stand in front of him. "Just like old times."

"Not quite," Steven says, grinning.

"Yeah, I guess not. No circles. I blame you for that." I smile quickly at him. "But, uh, I have to go, so I'll see you-"

"Soon?" Steven nods. "Yeah, I hope so."

"Alright. Well, um," I start. We awkwardly hug, in a friendly manner. Pulling away, I raise my eyebrows. We both know how pathetic that was.

Then he leans in, and I lean in. And I'm seventeen again. 


	12. The Twelfth Mistake

I wake up the next day wondering if the night before actually happened. Did Steven and I actually kiss?

I drift back to last night to confirm that yes, we did.

Wow. Just like old times, indeed. Last night was almost a complete flashback. It's crazy.

I really wish I knew what Michael and Fez had been up to. Being back with some of the gang wishes we were complete again. When all of us were 'we'. That felt right.

I wonder if looking up names online would do anything...

Going downstairs, I turn on the computer and sit down. Waiting for it to load, I notice Paul, in the living room.

"What're you doing here?" I ask him.

Paul shrugs. "It's my home, right?"

"Well... yeah. But aren't you working?" I ask.

"Obviously not today." Paul turns to face the TV.

I roll my eyes but turn back to the computer, which has finished loading.

Opening up the Internet browser, I search 'Michael Kelso'.

Instantly, "Cedarburg Police Department" pops up on my screen. I click the link.

I'm assuming he works there. And Cedarburg is actually near here, somewhat. About a forty minute drive away.

I exit out of the tab and think. Maybe I could drive up there today. I have the day off. I could see if Michael's in at work.

Quickly, I pick up the phone and call Donna. When she picks up, I tell her my plan to go to Cedarburg. She wants to join me. We make plans for her to come pick me up, and we'll leave together.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"Mom, what are you getting ready for?" Spencer asks me.

"Donna and I are going to see an old friend. Well, hopefully," I add.

"Can I come?" she asks.

I frown. "Sweetie, I wish you could but your dad wants to hang out with you guys today. He's off work."

Spencer pouts. "He's boring."

"I know," I agree, turning back to finish my makeup.

I hear a car honk, so I walk outside, assuming that it's Donna. It is, so I get in the car after saying goodbye to Asher and Spencer.

"I'm so excited!" Donna admits as we pull out of the driveway. "It's been so long since I've seen Kelso. I really hope he's there."

"Me too," I agree. "The Internet is actually pretty helpful."

Donna nods. "Yeah. I don't really understand it."

"Good; me neither!" I laugh.

Donna smiles. "So, uh... what happened with you and Hyde yesterday?"

"What do you mean...?" I ask her.

"Well... okay, Eric saw you two kiss!" Donna admits, grinning.

I gasp. "Really?"

Donna smiles big and nods. "I knew it was gonna happen. I knew it would."

"Shut up," I say, laughing. "And it's nothing. One kiss. Saying goodbye. It doesn't mean much at all."

"It could, considering our ages," Donna points out.

"So now you're calling me old?" I give Donna a look, raising my eyebrows but smiling a bit so she knows I'm joking.

"Nah." Donna keeps her eyes focused on the road, looking serious. "But... you kissed Hyde!" She reverts back to her big grin, talking in a singsong voice.

"Oh, whatever, Donna. This is gonna be a long ride." I lean back in the seat and turn up the radio.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A little over a half hour later, we locate the Cedarburg Police Department.

Donna and I get out of the car, walking in and both feeling hopeful.

As we walk in, a man behind the counter notices us. "Can I help you?"

"Um, yes," Donna explains. "We're looking for Michael Kelso?"

"Officer Kelso," I correct her.

The man gives us a strange look. "What for?"

"We just need to talk to him," I explain.

The man looks suspicious. "No. You're probably seeking revenge for an arrest or something."

"Oh, come on! We drive all this way for nothing?" I throw my hands up in the air.

"Wait, wait, excuse me?" Donna taps the man on his shoulder, getting his attention again. "Could you /please/ just tell him... that Donna and Jackie -remember that, Donna and Jackie- from high school are here?"

The man rolls his eyes. "Fine. I'll be right back. Don't touch anything!"

Not even five minutes later, the man returns with a familiar and good-looking face.

"Michael!" I shout as I see him.

"Kelso!" Donna stands up with me.

"Oh my God, you guys," Michael says, grinning. "What are you doing here? It's been years!"

"We reunited and realized you and Fez were missing!" Donna explains. We all hug, and Michael sits down with us.

"So, why are you in Wisconsin? I thought you were working in Chicago?" Donna asks him.

"Oh, man, that was forever ago," Michael says. "Well, eventually, Betsy got older, and I got offered this job here with my previous experience in the academy... so I took it. Then I realized my old buddy Simpson worked here, too. You remember Suzy?"

Donna and I nod.

"Yeah. We're married now," Michael says.

Donna and I gasp. "What?"

Michael grins. "Yeah. We have a son, Nick. He's almost seventeen now. Betsy's twenty-one."

"My goddaughter." I smile, remembering.

"Well, who would have thought?" Donna asks.

"Okay, you know, I've gotta finish my shift. I'll write down my address; you go to the house. I'll meet you guys there after. I got an hour and a half left." Michael grins.  
"You two can stay for dinner."

"But Kel-" Donna starts.

"Don't say you can't. Just, come on. It's been forever. Go to... this place," he says as he scribbles down a few numbers. "I'll call Suzy to let you in. See you in a few."

"Okay," we agree.

After we say goodbye to Michael, we attempt to find our way to his house. We got lost a few times, but at least we managed to get there.

After knocking on the door a few times, a slightly familiar face opens the door.

"Hi!" Suzy smiles as she sees Donna and me. "Michael told me you'd be coming."

"Nice to see you, Suzy," Donna says, smiling at our old best friend's wife.

"Yeah," I echo.

"It's been literally forever since I've seen you two," Suzy says, sitting down. "Oh, here, take a seat."

We sit down and nod. "Yeah, I know. When you helped Fez and Kelso make up."

Suzy laughed." Yeah, way back when." She sighs. "I'd actually make my son Nick come down here, but he never came home after school, so I'm assuming he went out somewhere." Her face turned angry.

"Oh..." I trail off, unsure of what to say.

Suzy then got happy again. "So, do you guys have any kids?"

We told her that we did, and told her how many, and their names, and everything else.

"Wow..." Suzy smiles at me. "So you and Hyde never had any? I remember you two were dating at the time that I liked Michael, and Fez liked me, and all that."

"No, no." I laugh nervously. "No. We broke up a looong time ago. And I have three kids, so... no more."

Suzy nods. "Yeah, but, I was actually talking about the past. You still know him?"

I nod.

"I knew it!" She pumped his fist in the air. "By the way you responded to my question, you seemed out of touch and nervous. Like interrogating a suspect."

Donna and I exchange strange looks, then look back at Suzy.

"So tell me more about Hyde?" Suzy edges closer. "Are you with him?"

"Not technically..." I say.

"Ha!" Suzy points at me. "I got it out of her!" She grins at Donna, nodding.

I give her a weird look. It's gonna be a long evening.


	13. The Thirteenth Mistake

Dinner with Michael and Suzy was fun, except for the fact that they both are morons in their own way. But hey, at least they're morons in love. They're very happy and you can tell.

Their son Nick is nice. We didn't talk to him much, but he seemed friendly, and almost the complete opposite of Michael when he was younger, with the exception of the good looks.

Donna drops me off at my house, and I notice that Paul's car is no longer there, but I notice Molly's car in the driveway, weirdly enough.

I walk inside, and see Molly sitting on the couch, watching TV with Spencer.

"Molly?" I ask, and she turns around. "What're you doing here?"

"Well, I just thought I'd stop by. Paolo's show was tonight, so..." She trails off, looking sad. "They're leaving in two days."

I raise my eyebrows. "Wow."

"So... when should we go? Like, should we buy our tickets?" Molly asks, looking desperate.

"Oh, honey." I give her a sympathetic look. "We can't go yet. It's gonna be hectic over there, I'm sure, with all the news and everything."

Molly nods, understanding what I'm saying. "So we'll give it a week, or what?"

I shake my head slowly. "No, I mean... I have to discuss it with Paul. It would take a while to buy tickets. We need to make sure we can get cheap enough tickets or I can't afford for the three of us to go," I say, gesturing to me and Spencer since Asher was upstairs. "And, I don't think things will settle down in a week."

"Well... can't you just talk to Paul, Mom?" she asks.

Spencer gives me an excited look. "Yeah, Mom. Just ask Dad."

"It's not that easy. He will not want me to," I explain. "He'll make it impossible to."

"Well, try." Molly shrugs. "What else could you do?"

She's right, I guess. I'm gonna call him later, and ask him to stop by so we can talk.

"Alright," I agree, and my two daughters squeal.

"I can't even imagine what it'll be like!" Spencer exclaims happily.

"Oh my God, it'll be so pretty." Molly sighed contentedly.

We hear a door shut upstairs, and I see Asher walk down the stairs slowly.

"Why are there never any guys in this house?" he says to himself as he descends down the staircase.

Spencer grins. "Because girls are better."

"Nah." Asher sits down on the couch, leaning back. Personally, I'm surprised that he's down here. I mean, he always keeps to himself.

"Hmm." I sigh. "Moll, it's almost ten. You should get home before it's too late."

Molly looks at the clock and agrees. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Normally, I would invite you to stay, but I know you have Paolo at home, and you don't have much more time with him." I shrug. "I know you want to see him."

Molly nods. "Yeah, I do." She looks down. "He was great tonight. His voice is awesome, and he's great at guitar. I don't know, he's just so cool."

I laugh a little bit. "Well, good." I hug her. "Things will work out, honey. I know they will."

"Thanks, Mom." She smiles. "Bye, Spence; bye, Ash."

"Bye, Molly," they say in unison.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

NORMAL POV:

Molly drove home and walked in to find Dario and Lily watching TV together on the couch on opposite ends of the couch.

"Hi." Molly hung up her coat as she eyed the pair.

"Hi, Moll," Dario said. "Paolo's still out."

"Oh." Molly frowned. "Why so late?"

Dario shrugged. "It's his first American gig. He's probably just trying to enjoy it. Plus, you left early."

"Alright." Molly walked into her room, not sure what to do. She sat on the bed, and heard Lily talking to Dario. She decided to listen in.

"Why are you distancing yourself from me?" Lily asked.

"Because we aren't together," Dario stated as though it were obvious.

"We have a child together," Lily said. "So we should be together."

"No," Dario said. "I didn't know we had a child, Lily. Just let it go."

"Dar," Lily said, but Dario shushes her.

"I'm going to bed," Dario said. "You can sleep on the couch tonight."

"But-"

"No, just stay."

Molly raised her eyebrows from her room. She sat there for another few minutes when she heard the front door open. She rushed out of her room. Paolo walked in, looking around.

She walked out of her room. "Looking for me?"

Paolo nodded and smiled. "You know I was."

"Why were you out so late?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I was talking with the owners, and I was drinking some."

"Oh." Molly nodded. "Okay. We should go in my room, probably."

Paolo looked around and saw Lily on the couch. "Oh, yes."

They went in Molly's room and sat on the bed.

"So, you're leaving soon," Molly said.

Paolo nodded. "Monday. Two days."

Molly shrugged. "My mom said that we should go for like, a month. Because it will probably be hectic."

"Yes, it will be," Paolo agreed. "But a month may be too much time." He smiled and kissed her.

Molly smiled back, then shrugged. "I don't know. Tell me, what's your home like?"

"Speaking of what?" Paolo asked.

"Like..." Molly started. "Your town. Your house, your family. Those kinds of things."

Paolo smiled. "Well, my town is small. Very small. It's very... rural."

"And your house?" Molly asked.

"It's big, I suppose." He shrugged. "My father had a nice job."

"And, your family?"

"They are wonderful." He smiled. "You, of course, know Dario. And my mother, she's small, but works to keep everything nice. My father used to be strict, but he has lightened up with age. And my sister Emmanuelle and I are fairly close. She's into music, like me. She's very nice; you'll like her."

Molly nodded and smiled. "All right. I'm really looking forward to going."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you there." Paolo smiled at her.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

JACKIE'S POV:

I woke up at about eight. It's a Saturday, so the kids don't have school today.

"Mom," Spencer says, "will you ask Dad about Italy?"

I sigh. "Honey, I-"

"He'll act the same no matter when you ask him," Asher comments.

"Well, I..." I look to see Spencer handing me the phone. "Alright. But you, save me if you hear him go crazy." I point at Asher, who rolls his eyes and smirks.

I dial, and wait. Paul picks up.

"What?" he asks rudely.

"Paul, could you at least have the decency to pick up the phone in a-"

He interrupts me. "No. What do you want?"

I sigh. "I'm taking the kids on vacation with me in like, a month."

"Oh yeah? Where?"

"Italy. Molly's going, too," I say.

"Oh, really? Well, you know, if I say for them not to go, they legally can't," Paul points out.

"Yeah, but that would be in order to piss me off. These are your kids, who you actually love. They're looking forward to this. Don't you want to make them happy?"

Paul sighs. "Do whatever you want, Jackie. I've got stuff to do and places to be. Tell the kids I love 'em." He hangs up.

I turn and give Ash and Spence a thumbs up, and they cheer.

"So, what're you gonna do now?" Spencer asks.

I shrug. "I was gonna call up my friend and possibly go to his house. You two could go, too."

"Sure." Spencer nods.

"Nah. Can you drop me off at Greg's though?" Ash asks.

"Ash, you never wanna spend time with me," I say, playfully messing up his hair. "But yeah, sure."

"Thanks." Asher smiles.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

I drop Asher off at his friend's house, and Spencer and I go to Donna's.

It's raining lightly, but we dodge it and run inside.

Donna greets us, then warns us that Eric is in the kitchen arguing with Jenny's boyfriend Chad over something.

We sit down, and we can hear yelling.

"You can't treat my daughter like that!" I hear Eric yell.

"Daddy, it's fine!" Jenny shouts.

"No, it's not, Jen," Eric says. "All he does is take advantage of you and this family. He doesn't deserve you."

"Oh, please, your daughter loves me," I hear a voice say.

"Jenny," I hear Eric say, "go in the living room for a minute and let me talk to Chad."

"No, Daddy, I-"

"Jen, go," Eric says again, and I hear Jenny pout, but I see her walk in the room and sit on the couch.

Donna looks at her daughter, and Jenny looks back.

"Why'd you marry such an asshole?" Jenny asks sourly.

"I think you're the one with the asshole," Donna says back coolly.

Jenny stands up and stomps upstairs. "No one ever wants me to be happy!"

Donna rolls her eyes and looks at Spencer and I. "You're lucky she's still young."

I look at Spence. "You ever gonna do that to me?"

Spencer shakes her head, and Donna laughs.

"Please. Spencer's gorgeous. She'll have boys everywhere, I'm sure."

Spencer blushes, and almost on cue, Donna and Eric's son Adam comes downstairs.

"Mom, what's wrong with-" He notices Spencer and looks for a moment, then looks back at his mother. "What's wrong with Jenny?"

"Dad and Chad are /talking/," Donna says, raising her eyebrows.

Adam rolls his eyes. Clearly, the only person in this household who respects Chad is Jenny.

"Adam, this is my friend Jackie, and her daughter Spencer," Donna says, gesturing to Spencer and I.

"Hi," Adam says casually to both of us, and sits down.

Donna looks around. "I am so curious to see what they're talking about. Do you wanna sneak in the kitchen?"

I grin and nod. "I remember when there was a time when you would resent me for wanting to do this. Now look."

Donna just rolls her eyes, smiling. We go through the back entrance of the kitchen, lurking around the corner.

"You don't respect my daughter, you're rude to all of us, and you don't do anything right," Eric says to Chad. "I can't handle you being with my daughter anymore. She can't see you anymore."

"You can't do that," Chad says, sneering. "She'll come and see me as she pleases."

"No." Eric sounds stern and serious. "She won't. I don't care if she needs to be in my sight at all times. She's not seeing you."

Chad just laughs. "Jenny's gonna be eighteen in a few months anyway. You won't be able to do anything then."

"Yeah, well." Eric stops to think, but can't think of anything. "She can't see you at all as of right now. So leave my house, right now."

"Nah, I'm gonna go see /your daughter/ first, okay?" Chad says suggestively.

"Get the hell out of my house!" Eric corners him, and Chad just gives him a weird look, walking out the door. Without turning around, he says, "Donna, you can come out now."

"Damn, how did you know that?" Donna asks as we reveal ourselves.

"Well, I would say that I'm psychic," Eric starts, "but I saw your heads around the corner. Not too subtle of a hiding place."

"It was worth a try," Donna says. "I am so glad you finally told him off, Eric. I can't stand him."

"You know I can't," Eric says as Jenny walks in.

"I heard the door shut," Jenny says. "Where's Chad?"

"He left," Eric says. "He's gone, for good."

Jenny narrows her eyes at him. "No, he's not. That's not up to you."

"Yes, it is. I'm your father, and your mother and I both agree that you can't see him anymore," Eric says.

Jenny stomps her foot. "That's not fair! He's my boyfriend!"

"Not anymore," Eric says with satisfaction.

"I /love/ him, Daddy!" Jenny says. "You can't make him just leave me!"

"Jen, you don't /need/ him," Eric says. "He's an asshole, and you could find a better guy in a heartbeat."

Jenny looks down, starts crying, and leaves the room.

Eric sighs. "I don't want her to cry. He's just so bad for her. And this is for the best." He points at me. "Good luck in five years."

I laugh. "Spencer won't do that to me. Molly didn't."

Then, the back door opens, and Steven walks in.

"Oh, Steven!" I say, then try to cover my excitement. "I mean, I didn't know you were gonna be here."

"Yeah, I've been here. I was just listening in outside on Forman actually being somewhat badass." He snickers.

"Hey, that was bold," Eric says defensively.

Donna smiles and kisses Eric. "I thought you were very brave."

"Donna, you realize he was arguing with an eighteen year old kid?" Steven asks.

Donna shrugs. "You know Eric."

Quickly, I poke my head into the living room and I see Spencer and Adam talking. I smile, then go back into the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Eric, Donna, Steven and I are sitting at the kitchen table talking, then Jenny comes downstairs, still crying.

"Jen," Eric says sympathetically, "you aren't still sad about him, are you?"

Her lip trembles. "Daddy, I love him. I can't not be with him. I need him!"

Eric shakes his head. "No, you don't. I'm doing you a favor, Jen."

"No, you aren't!" she insists.

"You don't need him, Jen," Eric says again.

"Yes, I do, Daddy!" she says as she continues to cry.

"Why would you need an asshole like that in your life?" Donna interrupts, clearly pissed.

"Because!" Jenny yells. "I'm pregnant." She starts crying harder and runs out of the room.

Donna and Eric look at each other with the most scared look on their face, while Steven and I awkwardly look at each other.


	14. The Fourteenth Mistake

Steven, Spencer, and I left not too long after Jenny's big "announcement."

Things were surprisingly quiet, however, it was anything but calm when we left. Eric and Donna were quietly freaking out in the kitchen, which is what made us leave.

Spencer hopped in the car while we stood in the driveway, Steven gives me this look, and shakes his head. "S'crazy in there."

I shrug. "I think she's full of it."

"Who?" He looks confused.

I sigh. "/Jenny/."

"Why would she lie about that?" Steven asks. "I don't think she purposely wants to get in trouble."

"She knows she'll get to see Chad if she does," I say. "It's just her being a... stupid teenager. Obviously I've been there. She thinks she's in love, and she's not. And if she is, he surely isn't the right guy anyways."

"That's pretty smart comin' from you," Steven says, raising his eyebrows.

I return the look. "And what's that s'posed to mean?"

Steven shrugs and grins, shaking his head again. "So, you're going to Italy then."

I nod. "Yeah, in a little bit. Paul gave me his consent. Which is what I needed."

"Hmm." He's looking at the pavement and I feel like I can read his mind.

With Steven, I just know how he works. I grew accustomed to him when we were friends, together, and... well, now. He hasn't changed a bit. I, on the other hand, feel like I'm a completely different person. Or maybe I'm just expressing myself in different ways. Maybe it's the kids. Who knows.

"How long you gonna be there for?" Steven asks me.

"Mmm, two weeks. Maybe a little longer." I look at him, daring him to look at me. He doesn't. "Steven."

"What."

I shrug. "I don't know."

He shrugs, too. "You should probably get going. It's late."

"Same goes for you," I say, feeling stupid.

He just smiles, looking down as he walks to his car. He's acting shy, and I don't know why. That's so unlike him.

"Steven," I call out to him as he's about to get in.

"What?"

I walk over to him. "What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know. Didn't realize there was."

"You're being shy." I eye him, smiling subtly. "I didn't think you could be."

He weirdly looks around in an attempt to roll his eyes. "Nah. Just tired."

"Huh." I giggle, and look at him. "Really."

"Mom!" Spencer's voice rings out, and I remember her.

"Well, we couldn't stay in Forman's driveway forever," he says. "I'll see you later, Jackie."

Steven turns away, and I walk towards him and turn him around towards me.

"What?" he asks me.

"You're so stupid," I say. Then, I wrap my arms around his shoulders, kiss him, and hold on to him for a few seconds. After I pull away, I see him grinning at me.

"Nah," he says, getting in his car. "I'm not stupid." He smiles and closes the door. My heart flutters, but I know that shouldn't matter. My daughter's in the car, and she comes first.

Spencer sighs as I get in the car. "About time."

"I'm sorry, honey," I say. "We were catching up."

"Yeah, yeah," Spencer says. "I saw."

"Oh." I'm not quite sure what to say.

"So, are you like... with him or something then?" She sounds almost... hurt.

As we get on the road, I think about it. "I really don't know."

Spencer is quiet for a minute, then: "Does Dad know?"

I shrug, shaking my head slightly. "No. He wouldn't care, though."

"Yeah, he would," Spencer mutters. "He would."

"Why do you say that?" I ask.

Spencer looks at me funny. "He loves you. And I thought you loved him."

"Baby, things change. I've tried to explain it to you, but it's probably hard to understand," I say. "Your father doesn't care much for me; it's pretty obvious."

"No," Spencer says. It's the way she said it... plain and simple, but with a slight edge to it.

It's quiet for a few minutes, until Spencer speaks up.

"This kills, Mom," she says.

"What's that?" I ask.

"This divorce. I don't... I..." She looks helpless. "Nothing. Are we almost home?"

I nod, and don't say much else. I don't quite understand how to tell Spencer exactly how everything works, because I honestly don't know much about it either. Maybe that's just the way things work. I didn't know what the hell was going on when my mother left most of the time. And when my dad got sent to prison... I had no idea what had become of my life. That's why I wanted things to be simple for my kids. Clearly, things like this aren't always instigated by one person. It just inevitably happens. And it sucks.

When we get home, we get out of the car. Spencer gets out, and I go to the other side where she is standing, and I hug her. She hugs me back, and I think she's crying. I feel terrible, but I don't know what to do.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

The next day, Molly stops by in tears.

"Moll?" I ask when she walks into the kitchen.

She sits down at the table and sighs. "He's gone."

"Paolo?" I ask.

She nods. "And Dario."

I bite my lip and nod slowly. "Okay. So, maybe we can buy tickets now? If we want to go as soon as possible, which I would say is like... two weeks, maybe?"

"Yeah. As soon as possible." She wipes her eyes.

"Well, Spence and Ash should be happy to hear that," I say.

"Guess so," she says sadly, looking at her hands.

I sigh. "Molly, he's a guy. You haven't known him for too long, and his home is in Italy."

"I /know/, Mom," Molly says exasperatedly. "It's just unfair."

"You kind of brought it upon yourself," I admit.

"Not really," Molly says. "It just kind of happened."

I don't want to argue with her, or make her more sad, so we buy tickets. We'll be in Italy in exactly sixteen days.

I tell Spencer and she automatically becomes ecstatic, as though last night never happened. Asher is still at his friend's house, but I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that he and Spencer can start counting down the days.

Then, I call Paul to notify him, and he agrees, albeit grudgingly.

I can tell that Molly is extremely anxious. I think she's too dependent. I remember when I was like that. I didn't feel right when I wasn't with my boyfriend. However, I learned that independence is important when living your life, and I think she'll realize that as she gets older. Putting your heart into something so irrational, at that, is almost... irresponsible. I just feel bad for her, but I feel like if I tell her this, she'll feel insulted. I just don't want her getting hurt. God knows it was bad enough after the Scott thing.

I hope that the next few weeks fly by. I can't wait to just get out of here.  



	15. This mistake thing is getting old

**NORMAL POV**

Jenny told her parents that she'd be back from Melissa's in a few hours. She drove away and of course, went to Chad's instead.

He opened the door, and, seeing her, grinned. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I took care of it. Kinda." Jenny smiled and kissed him, but Chad pulled away.

"Wait, how?" he asked.

Jenny shrugged. "Well... they think I'm pregnant."

Chad's face fell. "Really, like that makes everything better. That's kind of stupid."

"It's better than never having to see each other!" Jenny insisted.

"Okay, yeah, but still." Chad sat down, and Jenny followed, sitting so close to him that she was almost on his lap. "This is never gonna work out."

Jenny quickly looked at him. "How?"

"Because your parents hate me, and now they think you're pregnant," he said as thought it were obvious. "We can't be together, Jen."

She gaped at him. "I love you, Chad. You can't do this!"

He shrugged. "It can't happen."

"Chad!" she yelled again, smacking him on the arm as she stood up. "No!"

"Jen, calm down. Don't blame me," Chad said.

"Of course I'm blaming you!" Jenny shouted. "You're the one who's breaking up with me!" She smacked him again.

He grabbed her wrist. "Stop doing that."

"I want to be with you, Chad!" she yelled in his face. "I did all of that for you. I lied for you. I did everything right. You can't do this to me!"

"It won't work," he simply said. "S'your parents. Sorry."

"Whatever!" Jenny stomped out onto the driveway and got in her car, driving away as fast as she could and burst into tears.

When she reached her house, she ran inside and tried to avoid her parents. However, when she walked in, her father was standing right there.

"Jen!" He looked at her, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"This is all your fault!" she yelled, pointing at him, crying.

"What?" He led her to the couch and sat down with her.

"Chad... he broke up with me. Because of you and Mom," she said angrily.

Eric's mouth dropped open. "Even though you're..." He didn't finish his sentence.

She shook her head violently. "I'm not."

"Jennifer!" He gave her a shocked look. "I mean, I'm happy you aren't... but why would you?"

"Because I wanted to see him. I love him, Daddy. There's nobody else out there for me but Chad," Jenny said.

Eric almost laughed. "Jen, there's plenty of people out there."

"I don't like any of 'em," Jenny said.

"You will. Chad is just a mistake you made. You'll learn from it," Eric said. "He treated you like crap and you let him. You'll have so much better some day."

Jenny shrugged. "I don't want anyone else."

"Then give it time." Eric shrugged. "You'll get over it, I swear you will."

"How do you know?" Jenny asked. "You've been with Mom since you were my age!"

"I've talked to lots of people, Jen. If you don't have it right, the pain goes away eventually," Eric said. "I know it does."

Jenny sniffed. "I hope."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

**JACKIE'S POV**

A week passes since Paolo and Dario have left. I haven't really seen Molly since then, due to the fact that I've worked everyday.

However, I get today, a Sunday, off, and decide to see Donna, along with Molly afterward.

Ash and Spencer come with me, and as we arrive, I notice a car in the driveway. We walk in the door and I see a familiar blonde woman standing in the kitchen. Laurie.

"Jackie!" She runs towards me and hugs me. I hug back, but feel weird. "And this is Asher, right? And Samantha?"

"Spencer," I correct her. "Where are Casey and your kids?"

"They're here," Laurie says. "Everyone's in the basement. Not really sure why. But, whatever!" She smiles and runs downstairs. Obviously, we follow her.

Donna tells us the good news about Jenny being... not pregnant. Uh, called it.

We all basically talk and catch up. Steven isn't there, though, which kind of sucks.

About an hour and a half later, I decide to go to Molly's.

As I knock on her door, it flies open. "Mom!" Molly hugs me instantly.

"What's wrong, honey?" I ask her.

"Nothing, I just-" She sighs. "I'm just lonely."

I feel bad for her. "I'm sorry, baby. But you'll see him in less than a week." Spencer and Asher have taken places on the couch, and I sit next to them. "I mean, we'll all be there."

Spencer's face brightens up. "I can't wait to get away from here. It'll be so pretty and nice." She has a dreamy look on her face.

"It is," Molly assures Spencer.

"How do you know?" I inquire.

Molly sighs. "Well, Paolo showed me pictures of his home. It was beautiful, really."

I give her a knowing look. "Molly, you better not move to Italy and leave your family."

I'm joking. Well, kinda.

Molly just shrugs and says nothing, with a little smile on her mouth.

"I'd do it," Asher puts in. "I've heard that the girls-"

"Ash, you're thirteen," I remind him.

Asher grins wickedly. "Yeah, not to them."

I ignore him and turn to Molly. "Now, where are we gonna stay?"

Molly looks at me, confused, then her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Oh! Paolo's house."

"Uh, I don't know if I feel super comfortable doing that," I admit. "I mean, we're basically intruding."

"No, no, they're totally cool with it," Molly insists. "In fact, they /want/ us to stay there. Paolo and Dario have both told me."

Whatever. "Okay, fine," I agree. "If you're sure they're okay with it."

"I am!" Molly beams happily.

Molly has never been this happy before... I mean, wow. She deserves to be in love. Why is it all so complicated though? I mean, he lives in Italy, for God's sake. This is either gonna turn out really great, or she's gonna get her heart broken. Then again, isn't that how most relationships are? And, Paolo's great, I'll definitely admit that. I just hope his family is as good as him. Well, besides Dario. I already know that he's good... Molly would kill me if she knew I was thinking this.  



End file.
